AIBU to feel guilty ?

[helpmetoseeagain]

Hello,

This morning, after dropping up my DC's to school. A man approached me, mumbled something to me and said ".... I've been dropped off here, some guys attacked me, they took my bag which contained £700.00. I'm from the states ( could tell from the accent).. I have no money to travel, they took my train ticket. Can you please lend me money to pay for my travel ?".

I replied "... how much are you talking ?".

He then said " Your a Christian Right ? May God bless your soul. I came up to you because you had a good aura... if you can just lend me £25.00 I can get back home".

I said "Well, have you been to the police, have you spoken to the Train station ? They will usually waiver if this sort of things" happen ".

He replied "No Ma'am, I could for underground, but not National Great Western Rail... please ma'am, my top is torn (he had a missing button)..: these guys attacked me, I have no family... friend to contact, I will give you my details so I can pay you back.... ok just oh £10.00 and I'll find someone else to pay the other half".

I was umming and ahhhing as I've been scammed before and wasn't sure... I told him "I can pay for your ticket or speak to the train station on your behalf to see if they waiver"".

He then walked off and called me a selfish bitch....

I feel a bit guilty after that to be honest but when we started spouting the whole "are you a Christian ?".... it seemed like to was the old scam tactic line.

Was I wrong to not help this guy out ?

Bye 😂 trot off dear - try listing to the advice or you will just be back here to entertain us with more

gamble having empathy but refusing cash to someone doesn’t mean the OP doesn’t have boundaries, it shows she has a conscious and would want to help someone in need.

come on Gamble, you're now just being pretty unpleasant. Yes, the OP was daft and a mug but no need to put the boot in like this.

It's Friday!

I live in a seaside town with a lotof vagrants and commute regularly to London. I obviously have a gullible face as I am approached by people with these sob stories at either end of my trip pretty much every journey. You were very, very generous and patient with him and have nothing to feel guilty about.

Incidentally, I am also a Christian and can feel guilty about not being a Good Samaritan so to offset my guilt I give regular monthly donations to homelessness and rough sleeper charities. Then I can feel confident my money is actually helping those in real need not adding to someone’s addiction problems.

It’s a scam, happens regularly where I work and I’ve had the same thing happen to me several times at the train station. It got so bad that the police approached my company (it’s the biggest company in the area), and a note from HR was sent out warning employees not to fall for it.

You offered to pay the ticket and he swore at you and walked off so you know it's a scam.

Definitely a scam and a well known one. When anyone comes up and tells me I have a good aura or I look like a good Christian woman, alarm bells go off! Besides, anyone who had genuinely been robbed would want the police.

Thanks for all your advice. I know I was naive in thinking that his story could be genuine,

I sincerely like to help people who are in genuine need- I always offer food or offer to talk to someone on their behalf. Until that time someone scammed me of£10.00... but I need to trust my spidery senses more.

I was once approached by a woman with a similar story about needing money for the train - something about having lost her purse somewhere and if my mother was in her situation wouldn’t I want someone to help her (I was early twenties and she was fifties I’d guess). She was incredibly pushy and persistent and I didn’t give her any money but like you I did wonder if I’d been a bit harsh.
About a month later she approached me again, obviously not remembering me, and started spouting the same story. She turned and ran pretty fast when I said “you asked me for money last month.”
What happened to you sounds like a very similar scam, the reluctance to go through anyone more official (train company staff etc) would be the biggest red flag for me.

OP, The giveaway in those situations is that the people saying they want you to 'help' then refuse all the help you offer and will only accept money.

Genuine people in need of help will accept your offer of contacting the Police for them or as you offered * "I can pay for your ticket or speak to the train station on your behalf to see if they waiver".

Scammers like him only want your money, nothing else.

Of COURSE it was a scam. How gullible are some people?

I told him "I can pay for your ticket or speak to the train station on your behalf to see if they waiver"

He then walked off and called me a selfish bitch....

You offered a solution to his "problem". He called you a selfish bitch. 100% a scam. He wanted your cash. Not a train ticket to anywhere!

It's a scam. Where I live in Australia we get an Italian man who asks for money and offers a leather jacket as security until he can get to his destination and transfer money back to you.

Screams scam

Yeah this is a classic scam. Did that really not cross your mind?! It's the same formula every time. I guess people do get taken in by it or they wouldn't bother. But honestly, it's like a massive arrow over someone's head that reads 'scam'.

There was a guy who used to do this years ago around Great Portland Street and Regent Street in London. Very well dressed, quite dapper, in a trench coat, suit and tie, very well spoken. He came up to me one evening when I was on my way home from work spouting some story about losing his wallet and not being able to get home to Surrey, so could I 'lend' him £20.00.

Something didn't feel quite right, and so I told him sorry no can do. Well I figured it didn't work out for him that night, because I saw him in the area at least three more times still asking young women for money to get home.

There's another one doing the rounds - he'll stop his car, flag you down, tell you he's run out of petrol, you lend him £10-£20 in return for his gold ring and off he buggers with your hard-earned cash, never to return. And you have a brass ring for your trouble.

So no, don't feel bad that someone tried to scam you and didn't succeed

I'm trying to find the bit in the Bible where Jesus called someone a selfish bitch.