Those people at the pumps that ask for gas money

Of course you did the right thing. I would have done the same thing in a similar situation providing I had an extra $5.00. And wise not to give your address to a complete stranger...smart!! If he was upset with that offer, you're probably right in assessing his need for gas..and wanted to use it for something else like a dirty magazine.

Not all bigcgifts, as I have had same similar situations, as one time a man approached me in a restaurant and asked me if he could have $20 to feed his child. I told him the same I did not have any cash but that I was willing to pay for a meal for him and his child on my tab as I would pay with my debit card. He grunted and treated me as if I were the enemy, I did not understand as I though he said his child was hungry. So of course it was an excuse to get money, what a shame though as I was thinking of a supposed child he supposedly has. People will do this kind of things, and it is truly unfortunate as some times we may not really believe the truly needy because of tactics like this. Ugh.

I'd of thought the same thing. Most people that have asked me for money aren't usually at the pumps, although I did have one guy ask me when I was there (I didn't give him any money though). I mostly get asked for gas money in parking lots. Once, when I went to a home improvement center a woman and some kids were driving around in the parking lot. No sooner did I get out of my vehicle, then she drives by me and tells me her sob story. She's even crying! She needs to get to another city (about 45 miles away) and she's running out of gas. I had half a mind to tell her that if she's that low, then what the h*ll is she doing driving her car all around in the parking lot (I know she did this because I had been watching her do so). But instead I was polite and apologized for not having any money on me. I hate to admit it, but I did fall for one guy's story before (this happened some time before the woman in the story above). Again, I had been in a parking lot. I had just been returning to my vehicle when an older man approached me and one of my kids. He had been holding a gas can and was walking with a limp. When he came up to me he told me how his camper ran out of gas and that he had no money. Foolish girl that I was, I fell for his story and gave him some money. It wasn't much, a dollar, I think. We parted ways and I started for home... I wound up thinking of that man while I drove. And the more I thought about him, the more I thought it was all an act. But I wasn't sure...until I got home and spoke to my husband about it. When I told him the story, he laughed and said that the old man had tricked me. That man doesn't have a limp and the gas can he uses is to stash any cash that he gets. I couldn't believe that I had been fooled like that, though at the same time I was hoping maybe my husband was wrong and that he was talking about some other guy... That is, until I saw this same man a few weeks later. Apparently he didn't see me at first, because although he had his gas can, he didn't have a limp. He walked just fine...until he noticed me at my vehicle. After that, he immediately started to limp! LOL Oh my gosh, I just about laughed as this man hadn't even noticed the error he had made! I guess he forgot that he ran into me previously because he gave me the exact same story as before. But this time I didn't give him any money for it...nor did I give him a piece of my mind. Although believe me, I was more than tempted to. Instead I kindly offered to fill up his gas can. And what do you think he did? He declined, of course! LOL Needless to say I don't give money to people like that anymore. Happy mylotting and Happy New Year!

That guy is definitely a bum. Out to get some quick cash to unsuspecting people on the road. There's that kind of modus operandi too from the Philippines as well. In this case two persons posts as mother and daughter then they are asking for money for fare going home since they said they got lost and their belongings was taken from them. What is sad is that in just a few meters away another fair are saying the same thing. It was good that the authorities curbed and cut down on this modus.

I put $10 on my card last summer for a grandmotherly lady. She seemed really confused by the pump, and her debit card would not read. She asked for my phone number and address. She sent me the money several days later, along with a walmart gift card. She sent a note along the lines, that she had asked several other people for help, but they had just ignored her taking her for a welfare granny. She appreciated my kindness, first in helping to try and get her own card to work, then in my willingness to help a stranger moentarily.

Yes, you did the right thing. This past summer my wife and I were in a situation where we were on our way to visit my dad in the hospital and it was raining outside. We were stopped at a light and there was a stalled car on the street and the person who was next to the car claimed he had no money for gas. This person had his mom in the car as well. He wanted our address to send the money back to us. However we were able to convince this person that there was a reason that we were there at that time. As we gave the man a few dollars the light changed to green and we drove away.

It was really nice of you to offer to put $20 into his tank for him. If he was really after gas money, he would have accepted that instead of continuing to pressure for the cash. I believe that you did the right thing, and you are definitely right to feel upset at the man's attempt to trick you. I am just glad that he walked off after not getting what he wanted, it could have ended so much worse. It is possible that he did not even have a car.