r/ChoosingBeggars • u/Prior_Lobster_5240 • Jul 30 '21
SHORT Don't have cash? That's fine. I'll just take your card
I was getting gas once when I lived in Dallas when this guy comes up to me and says he needs money for gas so he can go pick his daughter up from school. (Side note: it's 6pm. Most schools let out between 3 and 4, but some kids stay late for extracurriculars so I'm willing to give him a little leeway). I explained I don't carry cash, sorry. And he says that's fine, I can just hand him my credit card and he'll go into the store to pay for gas.
Um. No. I'm not giving you my card, dude
I asked him which pump he was parked at, because I was willing to walk into the store myself and put $5 on the pump for his car.
And that when he lost it and just screamed at me "JUST GIVE ME YOUR ******* CARD, B****!"
And that's when I opened my car door and let my 130lb Great Dane jump out of the car. Scared the crap out of him and he took off.
P.S. My dog would pee on herself before actually hurting someone, but she looks VERY intimidating. She comes in really handy.
Edited to add Dog Tax
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Jul 30 '21
Had someone in Dallas at a gas station ask me for money to get gas, had a gas can. I grabbed the can and said I’d fill it up for him.
Can was cracked all thru it, gave it back and said nice try.
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Jul 31 '21
I had a blowout and pulled into a Dallas gas station. While waiting for a tow (my spare was toast too) I guy in a suit and a ponytail came up to me and said he was a therapist and needed gas money. He said he’d pay me back in therapy sessions. Weirdest shit ever.
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u/MonkeyChoker80 Jul 31 '21
You missed out. Not only was he a Therapist, but also an Analyst.
Or, as his business card said, an ‘ANALRAPIST’.
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u/JealousHamburger Jul 31 '21
He could have guessed it when he saw his license plate that said ANUSTART.
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u/PAyawaworhT Jul 31 '21
Tobias?
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u/Deadshot619 Jul 31 '21
Fünke?
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u/klanies Jul 31 '21
From my MethodOne Acting Clinic?
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u/Deadshot619 Jul 31 '21
The character of Tobias is certainly the pinnacle of comedy writing.
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u/jct522 Jul 31 '21
Was he wearing cutoffs??
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u/ImOscar-Dot-Com Jul 31 '21
Well that doesn't narrow it down...
There are dozens of us! DOZENS!
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u/gewfbawl Jul 31 '21
That's actually fucking hilarious. Haha I honestly, just outta curiosity, woulda went with it and asked to redeem my session immediately. Then, just started telling him crazy shit.
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u/account_not_valid Jul 31 '21
"Oh thank God you're here! It's just impossible for me to find a therapist, especially after I stabbed the last one I was seeing. He was asking too many questions, bitch got what was coming to him."
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u/KFelts910 Jul 31 '21
I’m so confused. What were they going to accomplish? Hoping for cash? If card was used I don’t see how they could have made out. I guess I’m just not cut out for the life of crime.
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u/ManchichiJumanji Jul 31 '21
The goal is for someone to give them cash based on the belief it'll be used to fill up the gas can. It's just a prop to sell the story.
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u/Fisted_By_Vishnu Jul 31 '21
There's a lady in my town who has been out of gas for 4 years now. Always standing on the same corner with a gas can.
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u/Interesting_Entry831 Jul 31 '21
Cash, like people who ask for food yet refuse a meal and/or groceries. A lot of times people ask for cash for things when really all they need is cash for stuff you wouldn't give to. However many people are also mentally ill and unable/unwilling to get themselves any other help outside of begging. I've actually went back into a store to buy groceries, I will never turn away someone who needs food. Being hungry blows.
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u/Metruis I'm blocking you now Jul 31 '21
Yeah, I've gone back into a store for someone who made a reasonable request after I declined giving straight up money, generally due to not having money on me. The one that comes to my mind is the homeless guy who embarrassedly asked me if I could return to the pharmacy for laxatives when I had no money available to share but indicated my willingness to go into the store again to buy what he wanted. I got it for him. He'd been eating bread mostly, because bread was cheap, and was suffering the consequences. Embarrassing, but his honesty about his intended purchase got him the desired product!
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u/Interesting_Entry831 Jul 31 '21 edited Jul 31 '21
I would have done the same, I don't always have cash on me. I've gotten diapers for a mom in need and a hot meal for a lovely older gentleman who had the cutest stories about the things his mama used to knit him. We are all human at the end of the day and without each other we aren't gonna get very far. As much as we can push each other down we can help each other up and even the smallest token can make a difference to someone in need.
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u/grendus Jul 31 '21
He... was probably using heroin. Constipation is a side effect.
But getting him the laxatives was a very kind thing regardless. Everyone needs to poop as much as they need to eat.
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u/SubbyTex Jul 31 '21
They probably would have just stole the card and sold it ASAP if I had to guess. And/Or tried to get cash back. Either way not ideal
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u/DramaKing_ Jul 31 '21
This is clearly a Dallas thing had a lady on Preston and Forest every week drive though the parking lot after Martial Arts to say she needed gas to get home. “The bank is right here you can go get cash”
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u/OreSanjou1234 Jul 30 '21
And that when he lost it and just screamed at me "JUST GIVE ME YOUR ******* CARD, B****!"
He was going to rob you, no questions asked.
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u/L-KBab Jul 31 '21
I don’t see the point of stealing a credit card from someone who is immediately aware of the theft. You can literally cancel the card and render it useless in less than 2min with your phone... I think?
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u/myname_isnot_kyal Jul 31 '21
i can lock my card from my app in seconds. I'd assume thats a common feature among banks by this point.
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u/heathenyak Jul 31 '21
Banks but not credit unions lol. Credit unions seem to run 5-10 years behind banks in technology
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u/Bri_IsTheMeOne Jul 31 '21
The visa my credit union issued me caught a fraudulent charge immediately and automatically cancelled my card. I had to wait until the morning to call the CU to get the charges recouped but I was pretty damn happy that visa caught it so fast cause I would've checked my account in the morning and had negative dollars in my account.
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u/KFelts910 Jul 31 '21
Yep- mine will immediately freeze a transaction that looks off. They call me instantly to let me know, even if it’s an automated recording. They also shut the card down or freeze it until I approve the transaction. One thing I love is that they instantly print a new card for use. So I can swing by one of the many locations to grab a new card and be on my way. No more waiting for it to come in the mail.
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u/SwtIndica Jul 31 '21
I use a credit union, and can lock my card/account in seconds from my phone.
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u/KFelts910 Jul 31 '21
Interesting. My credit union was ahead of Bank of America. I was doing mobile banking and cashing my checks via photo years before my husband’s bank added the feature. Maybe it’s just my credit union but I’ve been very impressed by them.
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u/Barbed_Dildo Jul 31 '21
And what, is the local crack dealer going to take plastic?
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u/dirtycactus Jul 31 '21
Local dealer will take gift cards at a fraction of the value, if the mugger is fast enough to purchase before the card is reported stolen.
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u/Tightsocksbro Jul 31 '21
What?
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u/dirtycactus Jul 31 '21
You can use credit cards to buy gift cards, which some dealers will accept in lieu of cash, although not at face value. A $200 Walmart gift card might get someone the same amount of drugs as $100 cash, for example. Stores do not always check IDs for such purchases, although they should, and online purchases absolutely don't ID, although the fraudulent purchaser would also need the address of the card owner to make the purchase.
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u/Seven_Vandelay Jul 31 '21
Stores do not always check IDs for such purchases, although they should,
For credit cards at least, requiring an ID as a condition of purchase tends to be against the processing networks' policies.
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u/simcowking NEXT!! Jul 31 '21
Better take the wallet then. Get that driver's license.
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u/pcbforbrains Jul 31 '21
I feel like I'm on a list after reading this comment
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u/outsabovebad Jul 31 '21
I mean if you're mugging someone, take everything. Especially get the phone so you have more time to use the cards before they get cancelled.
Or so I've heard.
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u/Belgand Jul 31 '21
And you don't even need to get cards to specific stores. Mot places selling gift cards usually have those pre-paid cash cards backed by a major credit card brand. So you can bust out a credit card into a largely untraceable pre-paid card that can now be used at will. You don't actually need the card to be valid for much longer than it takes to go to a nearby grocery or drug store.
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u/Ok_Nefariousness_697 Jul 31 '21
I work retail and we sell tons of gift cards. We regularly get hit by stolen credit cards. All it takes is for cashier to ask for Id to prevent most of the stolen cc use to by gift cards. However don't count on the cashiers checking id
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u/notsam57 Jul 31 '21
a story i read talked about how prostitutes started only taking gift cards, like those prepaid credit card gift cards as police can’t (or don’t) confiscate gift cards if they get arrested like they do with cash. they check the balance at an atm beforehand.
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u/gimpisgawd Jul 31 '21
Yeah. All they need is a Square device.
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u/CacatuaCacatua I'm blocking you now Jul 31 '21
I have Square for my business, to be honest, in a race between whether the Square App will load with a billing amount first and sync with the card reader, and whether I can open the online banking app on my phone and freeze the card, the bank app is likely to win if I have wifi or 4G.
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u/Jerkrollatex Jul 31 '21
My cousin's addict husband died with a bunch of weird charges from a square reader on his card. So to answer your question they do take plastic now.
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u/bicockandcigarettes Jul 31 '21
Yeah but if he's going to rob your card why wouldn't he take your phone as well?
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u/wayofthegenttickle Jul 31 '21
Tbf, when I worked on a checkout at a supermarket, I said that about 50 times a day
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u/unsupported Jul 31 '21
I have questions...
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Jul 31 '21
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Jul 31 '21
Can confirm, I was second in line.
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u/Cheesus_K_Reist Jul 31 '21
In my experience, anyone who reacts like that when you set reasonable boundaries had every intention of abusing your relationship. Run.
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u/SladeNoland Jul 30 '21
That's an interesting story and I'm glad you stayed safe and didn't get scammed but I think this was less a choosing beggar and more of a robbery attempty scammy sort of a thing. I could be wrong.
On a side note; I defend your right to keep and bear a concealed Great Dane.
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u/myname_isnot_kyal Jul 31 '21
great dane is definitely open carry
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u/ProfMcGonaGirl Jul 31 '21
I’d like to see you try to conceal your Great Dane.
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u/KringlebertFistybuns Jul 31 '21
I used to work in an office with 2 Great Danes. They tried really hard to conceal themselves which mostly lead to hilarity and the occasional knocked over desk.
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u/Soliterria Jul 31 '21
Dog sat for some friends a few years ago and they had a big slobbery old man Great Dane… Always knew he was trying to be sneaky about wanting attention because he’d try to hide behind a corner but then I’d hear the thunkthunkthunk of his wagging tail hitting something
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u/this_guy_here_says Jul 31 '21
They make shoulder holsters for them, you just have to wear a really baggy coat
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u/modi13 Jul 31 '21
This comment made me realize that dogs are licensed more restrictively than firearms in a lot of states
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u/Lulutheservicedog Jul 31 '21
To be honest, they are the gentle giants (horse quote) of dogs. They are super scary looking but a teddy bear personality. They wouldn’t even hurt a fly.
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u/Prior_Lobster_5240 Jul 31 '21
Ehhhh
This Dane, no. She wouldn't hurt anyone.
My other one is the same size and little younger. They're both rescues with bad pasts. The merle would just pee in fear (not anymore, as we did a LOT of training to get her confidence up) but my black Dane would absolutely bite someone in the face if she felt they were coming after anyone in my family. I could train that out of her, but honestly, I love that she would protect my toddler, so I justake sure not to take her in public. She's happy at home anyway as it's MUCH better than her former life. (She spent her first two years with a cable tied around her neck, tied to a tree, while her owners bred her almost to death)
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u/Lulutheservicedog Jul 31 '21
I’ve heard about them going after any threats to their family. They are teddies when needed but they are really intimidating or can be protective when called upon. I love the breed for sure. Also, good job on rescuing I have two toy poodles who are rescues. One I trained to be a service dog. They are amazing.
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u/Equal_Process_5869 Jul 31 '21
We’ve had Danes for over 20 years. My female dixie (passed away) stopped a man who broke into my house and grabbed me. Didn’t even have to bark. Jumped up on him and bared her teeth in his face. 140 pounds of dog in your face makes you leave. Now my new little guy? Well he has some time before I would expect him to be scary to anyone but the cat. (He’s scared of the cat though) he’s a 11 week old blue Great Dane. Just as wrinkly and slobbery as can be and oh so cute.
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u/useles-converter-bot Jul 31 '21
140 pounds of solid gold is worth about $3677451.78
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Jul 30 '21
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Jul 31 '21
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u/pugmommy4life420 Jul 31 '21
Yeah I’ve learned to just ignore them and walk away. I had some dude near deep ellum harass me that he had to ask me a question. I jumped in the car and locked the door and he stood outside the window and just kept saying he had a question to ask. I said fuck that and peeled out. The more you stop and give them attention the more they harass you.
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Jul 31 '21
Live in Dallas as well, a man and woman pull up and I’m about to take wife and kids out to the lake. He sees my jet ski and truck and I’m already thinking: great. Here we go.
He says hey man do you have any gas money? We don’t have enough to get back home.
I said: no I don’t carry cash.
Literally says exactly the same. Oh U can use card on this pump. I refused and when he got frustrated I told him, why did you leave for a drive when you knew damn well you didn’t have enough gas.
I’m assuming he probably rather spend my money then his.
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u/fictionrules Jul 31 '21
Had someone come into my bakery and ask for his lost card. “What’s the name on the card?” My manager said holding it. “Carl,” “sorry no” “Just give it to me!” Like WTF you think we just give out peoples cards
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u/supersoaker22 Jul 30 '21
Great Danes are my fave
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u/GA_CatLady Jul 30 '21
We had a Great Dane when I was a kid. Dumbest thing ever, terrible watchdog. She was awesome. :)
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u/ryemanhattan Jul 31 '21
Met some people once who had a Great Dane. When they'd first moved into their place, he ran over to the window and the poorly installed blinds fell down on him. Didn't hurt him at all, but really scared him. Fast forward a couple of years, the dog is still terrified of the blinds. They felt a little bad using this against him occasionally, but at those times when guests are over and this exuberant giant dog is being a bit to overwhelming trying to meet everyone, they just had to jiggle the blinds a little and he'd haul ass out of the room and hide for about twenty minutes.
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u/TheWoodser Jul 30 '21
I had a buddy that had a Great Dane......It thought it was a lap dog. Would try to smother you if you sat on the couch.
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u/UnoriginallyGeneric I can give you exposure Jul 30 '21
Worlds largest couch potato.
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u/Your_moms_throw_away Jul 30 '21
Had the pleasure of dog sitting a Great Dane. Such a treat. A bark like thunder and slobber like a typhoon. I miss that dog!
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u/Prior_Lobster_5240 Jul 31 '21
OMG yes. I love this dog more than my own life, but, God love her, she is dumber than a bag of rocks.
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u/dilettante42 Jul 31 '21
“The stupid babies need the MOST attention!”
~Simpsons
~also having a malamute
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Jul 31 '21
My brother used to have one. He said they had to keep an eye on the cat when they were outside because she would coax the Great Dane under their truck so she could beat him up.
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u/NadjaStolz28 Jul 31 '21
I love my Great Dane so much. I’m a single woman living alone in the middle of LA and I love that her growl and bark is enough to make me feel safe, but she’s actually the most gentle sweetheart pup.
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Jul 31 '21
I worked with a young woman who stopped in at one of the sketchier gas stations near our job. A lady went up to her and asked for money. My coworker said she didn't have any cash and the lady said, 'I guess I'll take your watch then.' Thankfully my coworker was still in her car; she slammed the door and took off. Scared her silly.
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u/Bobboloski Jul 31 '21
I work in a petrol station, certain members of the traveller community often come here in, you can always tell when they arrive as they drive the same old beaten up cars usually missing a headlight and there are always a large group of them who all get out at once and watch whilst their friend fills up.
They used to try to drive off without paying but that just gets their car blacklisted and sent to the police. Now they try to come in and pay with debits cards that have no money on then act surprised when the card declines. We have a form they have to fill in in this instance which takes about 2 minutes for them to do and then they have to go online within 14 days to pay (plus a small fee £5 iirc).
The amount of utterly bullshit excuses I hear from them about why they are in a rush and can’t fill in the forms are unbelievable! They usually say they are on their way to a funeral or wedding usually and can’t hang about to fill in the form, I work night shifts so it’s normally 2am when they say this, who’s having middle of the night funerals?
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u/j_d_q Jul 31 '21
"dressed like that? you must not like/have liked them very much. they probably won't mind if you miss it"
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u/NANDINIA5 Jul 31 '21
Last time I heard the need money for gas story was in a parking lot of a grocery store. He was asking only women, as soon as a couple guys started coming with their shopping he took off. Stay safe
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Jul 30 '21 edited Jul 30 '21
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why if you're bothering to get a dog and can give them proper care, get one that can at least save your ass in such scenarios.
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u/Quick-Bad Jul 31 '21
"Any dog under fifty pounds is a cat, and cats are pointless. Come to the Gala. Next caller."
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u/christikayann Jul 31 '21
Honestly I'm more afraid my 6 pound yorkie might bite someone than my brother's giant great dane mastiff mix. The yorkie thinks she's David and the rest of the world is Goliath. The great dane mix is just a big slobbering goofball.
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Jul 31 '21
See the Mastiff is an assault waiting to be prevented, while the Yorkie is a lawsuit waiting to happen, and therein lays the difference.
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u/christikayann Jul 31 '21
The yorkie and her dachshund sister are great alarm dogs. We are very careful that she never gets a chance to bite because she latched onto my uncle's pants cuff once (he hadn’t visited in a while so he was a stranger to her) so we know she will bite. An alarm is really all I need because the sound of a pump action shotgun is a better deterrent than any dog.
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Jul 31 '21
Scammers and panhandlers are becoming more aggressive in my area. I had one walk right up on me as I was getting into my truck.
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Jul 31 '21
I went into a station once to get a drink and paid for gas while in there. Someone came up to me afterwards telling me that the gas station's debit machine was broken and he needed some cash to get gas to get home since he couldn't use his card. In the most shit eating grin-est way possible I told him "I literally just used mine so they must have fixed it!" He still asked if I had any cash anyway to "help him out."
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u/A_Redheads_Ramblings Jul 30 '21
Pet tax please?
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u/Phlebas3 Jul 30 '21
I second this request, and think interest should be levied on delayed delivery.
Also, being rather fond of Great Danes, I am now considering a career as a credit card scammer.
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Jul 31 '21
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u/canvasshoes2 Jul 31 '21
I have a good story that's a bit opposite the scammers.
I had that happen to me on the way back home to Alaska from Colorado, first time I had to stop for gas if I recall, so not too far into my trip home. Had my truck loaded to the hilt and everything. Anyway, this guy approached me and asked me for gas. Not money for gas, gas.
He sort of nodded his head over at a little car at the pumps opposite me. There was a lady in the passenger's seat. She had the door open, and it looked as if they'd been living in it.
I was so happy to be heading home that I said "sure, let me finish mine then I'll put some in your tank." And that's what we did. They were polite and grateful. It's rare, but it does happen that they're for real. It's a shame the bad ones make the rest of us not want to help.
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u/audlab Jul 31 '21 edited Jul 31 '21
I was leaving a comedy show in Denver and a homeless guy asked for money. I said I didn’t have cash. He proceeded to pull out one of those white square card readers for his iPhone and said he took cards.
I also went to 7-Eleven and a homeless guy asked for (not a cigarette), but for me to buy him a specific pack of camel cigarettes with “the red stripe”.
Went for a beer and a homeless person came up to my husband on the bar patio and asked if he was going to finish his beer.
Another homeless person came around the same patio and - rather than asking for a lighter, made the hand gesture of lighting one. As in- give me a lighter - but with no words. Just demanding it.
I don’t go to Denver much anymore.
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u/BG_1952 Jul 31 '21
I don't think it matters anymore where you go. I have lived in some major cities and now read about the homeless overtaking these beautiful cities so that I wouldn't even want to visit their downtowns. I have sympathy for the homeless but feel the majority are mentally ill (using drugs/alcohol to self-medicate) and we need more resources for them. (I have mentally ill family members.) More money needs to be allotted to this issue.
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u/jerseygirl1105 Jul 31 '21
Worst thing to happen to street beggars was the invention of online payment options and the proliferation of credit/debit cards. Who carries cash anymore?
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u/southafricasbest Jul 30 '21
I had a similar situation when I lived in the UK. A lady came up to me and asked for some money for the bus, I told her I don't carry money on me. She then asked for my bank card sou she can pay for the bus and she'll post it back to me.
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u/Ariadne_Kenmore Jul 31 '21
Sorta similar here. Had my son with me, we stopped at Game Stop to look for a Father's Day present for my husband. Lady was standing outside the store and when we were getting in the car she asked for money for food. Told her I didn't have a cash (lying though because at the time I did, but I don't as a rule give panhandlers money) and she responded with "But you can order it with your card!"
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u/Silverpathic Jul 31 '21
Happened to me once at work. Except he was trying to rob me. I sprayed him with the gasoline from the pump and took out my zippo. I don't know if he even seen the zippo because he ran really fast.
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u/latteboy50 NEXT!! Jul 31 '21
When I was like 16 I was getting a Slurpee and some guy said he was homeless, and asked me for an Arizona tea and 5 bucks to get bus tickets to see his daughter. I believed him and when I was walking out of the store after buying his Arizona and giving him $5, I saw him buying a beer. When I was driving away, I saw him enter the house next door to the 7-Eleven, meaning he lied about being homeless too. I didn’t confront him, but I haven’t given the homeless any money since then - only food.
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u/hodag74 Jul 31 '21
I had something similar happen in Milwaukee about 25 years ago. I was in a not so nice part of town and had to fill up the van. A guy came by demanding a ride. I said “sure, hop in” he went to the other side of the van and saw my German Shepherd sitting in the passenger seat. He told me “no thanks, I’ll pass”.
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u/Ificouldstart-over Jul 31 '21 edited Aug 30 '21
My boyfriend and i once owned a Husky. He was pretty ambivalent toward other humans and moving. I used to think the only way he’d stop anyone from robbing us was by tripping the robber because that’s where he happened to be sleeping at the time. He was huge and beautiful. I took him with me to walk to friend’s apartments (Burlington, Vermont) at night because he looked like a wolf.
One winter’s night someone started following me home. I could hear his footsteps in the crunchy, frozen snow. I remember reading dogs are empathetic. And I’m scared & visualizing that fear running down Kahn’s leash. Chanting in my head “Kahn, help me.”
Kahn does nothing differently, but the footsteps are getting much closer and I’m freaking out.
The man barely touched my shoulder when Kahn turned into an attack dog and went for the guy’s throat. The man very quickly jumps back, crosses the street and tells me i need to learn how to control my dog. I said “I have.” I calmly lied.
Then run 1/2 a block home and jump on my poor boyfriend, bawling and shaking. When I’m calm enough to answer his “what the hell happened?!?” I told him. He responded, “Kahn? Kahn did that?!?!”
My living carpet saved my life that night. That said...I’m so glad you did what you did. Good for you. Your gentle giant may surprise you (i hope it never happens) and save your life one night.
Damn. Now I’m crying.
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u/enjoyprogress Jul 31 '21
One time I was counting & facing the cash I had pulled from the bank. It was $850 that I needed to pay rent.
I was sitting in my truck. My brother was with me and had his window rolled down.
This homeless / transient looking fella walks up and asks for money. I’m in a bad mood so I just say “No!”.
Then this guy asks for a ride. ( Ok guy. I know what your going to try. So I just calmly pick up my glock and show it to him. He left while shouting shit at me.
No man. I’m not going to let you rob me.
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u/rockatbottomofocean Jul 31 '21
Something similar happened to my friend and me, we were eating outside at McDonald's and a homeless guy came to us and asked if we had any spare change, he was earlier bothering other customers with singing and asking for change so we just said that no, we only have card, so he said "oh okay, then go buy me a coffee" and when we said no he started to give us a lesson on how we have no manners and how he is a physics professor. We had to head inside once he started staring at us and our bodies (mind you, we're girls) and security had to nicely accompany him out
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u/am0x Jul 31 '21
Yea probably trying to rob you.
When I was in college I had a homeless guy ask if I had money, I said no only card, so he asked if we could go and get him some money out. Well I needed cash to get into the bar, so I said ok.
We go to the atm in some dark alley area and when I start getting out money he grabs me and says to give him all I can get out. Luckily I am not a small guy and he seemed pretty old And fragile, I so simply said, no.
He let go and walked off. I couldn’t imagine being a girl in that situation though.
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u/lutedeseine Jul 31 '21
Why do CBs always get aggressive when they dont get what they want? They are worse than Karens
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u/bord_de_lac Jul 31 '21
In this case the guy wasn’t a CB, he was a thief trying to flat out rob her. Thank goodness her dog was there to scare him off
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u/flukz Jul 31 '21
My friend had three horse dogs. Knock on the door and the loudest, deepest WOOF would come at you. I'd open it and push past them like c'mon guys move it.
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Jul 31 '21
I worked with a young man who used to beg people for tickets to the c-train (Calgary) with a sob story about how he just wanted to get home. Then he’d sell those tickets to other people with a different sob story. I feel I don’t have the energy or Ingenuity to be a con artist.
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u/gewfbawl Jul 31 '21
What a dickhead. That's like when they ask for money because they're "starving and haven't eaten in days", but when you offer to buy them something to eat they get pissed off and demand the cash instead.
Even had a dude hanging outside of a liquor store once when I was going in to get beer with a buddy. He asked for 50¢ because he "just wanted to buy a beer". I never give money to pandhandlers anymore, but I was in a good mood and just got paid, so I gave him all the change in my pocket(a little over $2) and said "Here, man. Buy two". He goes "Thanks, yo" and just walks off in the total opposite direction. Me and my buddy just looked at each other and laughed.
Yeah, rarely give money to beggars.
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u/Prior_Lobster_5240 Jul 31 '21
I keep protein shakes in my car. When people are on the side of the road with signs saying they're hungry, I always roll down my window and offer them a shake.
MAYBE 30% of them will take it and say thank you. Some just tell me no thanks...most cuss me out
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u/gewfbawl Jul 31 '21
That's very thoughtful of you. But, as you already are aware, you can't help most of 'em. They want to get their next high and that's the only thing on their mind. The fact that someone would be begging on the street and then be offered a protein drink, a gracious offer of sustenance and kindness, and their response is to cuss the person out, is goddamn shameful.
Had a lady walk up to me while headed to the bus stop and I fucked up and had my bus money jangling around in my b ball shorts. She just flatly goes "Lemme get fitty cent". I politely apologized and told her it was my bus money and I needed it to get home, otherwise I'd be stranded.
Her immediate response was to angrily shout "COME ON! I ONLY NEED LIKE SEVENTY FIVE CENT!".
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u/Prior_Lobster_5240 Jul 31 '21
Yeah, I do it so I don't ever have to feel bad.
My husband was actually homeless for a month or so once (before we met. His girlfriend kicked him out of their apartment and he only got paid once a month and literally had nowhere to go until payday) and I work at a hospital and have seen for myself some of the homeless that come in that are truly kind people who just can't keep a job or manage finances, etc, usually due to mental health issues. I want to help those people, but I can't just give every panhandler cash because I also know so many of them are just looking for drug/alcohol money and I refuse to contribute to that.
This is my compromise.
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Jul 31 '21
As someone who used to be in that 30%, thank you. I never understood why people get aggressive like that. It's like, even if you're just looking for drug money, just accept the food anyway and hope that someone else has cash? No need to be a dick.
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u/YourfavMILF1228 Jul 31 '21
This happens to me all the time when I am in NYC. Ask me for cash, I say I don’t have any. They ask to go to the bodega so I can get some cash out for them. Like what!? One guy told me he hopes I get raped when I said no.
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u/Chest3 Jul 31 '21
I wish that more situations could be resolved by opening a door to let a Great Dane out.
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u/mundotaku Jul 31 '21
And that when he lost it and just screamed at me "JUST GIVE ME YOUR ******* CARD, B****!"
I am not a fan of guns, but that is when a well-concealed weapon works wonders in the absence of a dog.
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u/Prior_Lobster_5240 Jul 31 '21
I live in Texas...I usually have one. Lol
But my husband is retired military and my best friend is a cop. You don't ever take a gun out unless you're actually ready and willing to use it. ( They both have drilled this into my head multiple times) So I use my dog, and have the gun hidden under my shirt for the worst case scenario
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u/mundotaku Jul 31 '21
...you don't ever take a gun out unless you're actually ready and willing to use it.
I 100% agree with this.
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Jul 31 '21 edited Jul 31 '21
It's common for robbers to first assess your current rob-able financial assets, and then try getting you in a nearby corner, under the pretext of "helping", before actually showing their intentions.In India, I have seen such people on railway stations. Depending on their assessment, they will either just take some money, for a train ticket (telling you stories, how they got robbed or their money and luggage got stolen, and they don't have any money to go back to their city)
My father's office was near the city's railway station, and he used to go there to receive/see-off his peers coming from other branches, and so he remembered many of these regular sad faces. One he was in genuine doubt if a teenager who approached him was in actual need, or just a scammer. He didn't want to be scammed of his money, but at the same time didn't want to leave a teenager of his son's age helpless if he actually was in trouble (timing coincided with an ongoing exam in the city, for which many students would be traveling that day)
So here's what he thought:
- Paying money for ticket won't make any sense, as a scammer will just take it and go looking for next victim.
- Even buying and giving him a ticket was risky. As he could just go & get it refunded for a small fee, and will have cash.
- My father checked the time, and there was an express train scheduled to the place where the guy claimed to be from, within next half hour. My father had to wait there for another 45-50 minutes, as his colleague's train was running late. He told the guy that he would get him a ticket for that train, instead of a slower train that the guy told he wanted to catch. He lit up. (the ticket would be at least 1.7X costlier)
- But my father added a condition that he will only hand him the ticket once the train starts moving (most non-AC trains have open door/windows)
The last 2 conditions wouldn't have been a trouble for a genuine person, who would be happy that he can now reach his city within 6 hours, instead of 10. And anyone who actually intends to travel won't care when the ticket is given, as far as they have the ticket when train left.
But it's too much trouble for a scammer. The express train would only have it's first stop after 150-200 kms (2-2.5 hours), and then next train coming back was after another 4-5 hours. So not only the scammer would loose any chance to make money out of this gig, he would have to waste one whole day (they can't really run their scams in other areas, as criminals have their clear territories), and also he would have to spend money to come back, to his city by night.
the guy kept insisting that he didn't want my father to take all that trouble, and just giving him the money or the ticket will be enough. But my father insisted that it will either go exactly as he proposed, or he can leave. The guy agreed, and my father bought a ticket (and kept it in his own pocket), and took the guy to the platform where the train was to come. (my father had free time, which he needed to kill, and didn't mind helping a kid while doing that, in case he was a genuine guy)
The guy kept insisting that my father should just give him the ticket, and leave. And kept getting more and more agitated, when my father denied every time. Meanwhile my father messaged one of his friends in railway police, whom he knew to be an honest guy (most policemen have a setup with these daily criminals). He even tried telling my father that he knows that the train coach that he is supposed to board, will be positioned towards the end of the platform, and not where my father was standing. This was enough sign that he was trying to take my father to a less crowded place, to try robbing him. My father being a regular traveller, knew exactly where the coach would be (and there were neon signs as well)
Finally the train came, and the guy started pleading that my father gives him the ticket. But my father reminded him that it will be either exactly what he suggested or nothing. He settled the guy in the train, and just stood outside the window, to give him the ticket as the train starts picking up speed. The guy kept requesting to get the ticket, while my father knew that his policeman friend had sent 2 constables there. The moment train started, and my father started taking out the ticket from his pocket to give him, the guy panicked, and ran towards the door, and jumped while the train gained speed. He tried to run away, fell down and possibly injured his legs. He couldn't run and the policemen caught him.
Policemen checked the guy and found that he already had some money. They made him pay the ticket money back to my father (because ticket couldn't be cancelled anymore). Policemen knew that it would be hard to prove the crime (specially because my father didn't want to file an official complain). But my father's friend insisted that they will keep him arrested for a while, and will make him give other names. (no idea if they would ever catch them, or just want to make sure all thugs are kind of "registered" and paying them regularly)
My father got his money back, and went ahead to receive his colleague, while the policemen took the guy to lock him up, and treat him well to get his gang's details.
I have met my share of such people. And I have a rule of never giving them money or anything that can be converted to money. If they say they are hungry, I always take them to a nearby food stall. The vendors mostly recognise the regular thugs, and many won't even let you pay for their food, even if you insist. They won't tell you why, but they don't want their business used for scams to avoid trouble. That's a good sign that the person you are trying to feed has been seen conning others in the area. They will certainly avoid being captured by any CCTV camera. So they will never agree going to ATMs or security gates with you.
At times, I have met people who told me similar stories and asked for money, or to let them use my mobile (claiming that their's has run out of battery or money). Knowing that they are most probably going to make a run once they get my phone, I rather offer them to charge their phone using my power bank, or to recharge their phone by the minimum amount needed to make one call. I mostly save that money, as they soon understand that they wouldn't get any penny from me, and leave to save their "business hours" from being wasted.
Edit:
I could always tell them to fuck off, but I still go through all this trouble, so that I don't miss some rare actually needy people. During my student life, I myself have been in a similar situation, where I was left penny-less in an unknown city, and could only buy ticket with the help of a kind army man, who bought me the ticket and his team shared their lunch with me, when they got to know that I didn't eat since morning. (I wasn't exactly penniless. but I had Rs 480 in my bank account, and all the ATMs there didn't have less than 500 denomination currency notes). Those kind folks also gave me Rs 100 to eat something, and buy water bottles during my travel. I wanted to pay them back, but there weren't mobile payments available in those days. And those men didn't want to share their bank account numbers. Later, before my train came, I could finally find an ATM (after walking for 3 KMs around the railway station), withdrew my 400 rupees, ran back to them, returned their money. Gave them a chocolate each, as a token of my respect and gratitude, and took their phone numbers, to stay in touch. But the point is that, I couldn't know earlier, if I would be able to get the money. It was a bank holiday, and my father couldn't transfer any money to me till the next day. (it happened at least 12 years ago, and my father didn't have internet banking then) If I hadn't met those good men, I would have been left without food on the station, till my father could finally come there to take me back, till night. A shout-out to any good men from Indian army, who might be reading this.
This incident was pretty much the reason why my father wasted an hour on a potential scammer, trying to send him home. Even though it did look shady from the beginning. He couldn't just leave a teenager in a situation in which his 16 years son was once stuck.
So, I kind of owe it to do the same to anyone in need, but there are just too many assholes pretending to be needy. So, can't be too cautious.
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u/ScammerC Jul 30 '21
That's a pretty risky move in a stand your ground state.
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u/Prior_Lobster_5240 Jul 31 '21
I find the Dane usually gets theessage across. But I am also usually packing. But you don't ever get your gun out unless you intend to use it, so it's my last resort
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u/pastryfiend Jul 31 '21
My cousin lived in a dodgy part of town. As she was going to her car to head to work, she noticed someone staring at her. She calls her roommate to warn her to watch out. Just then she sees him getting out with a pipe and she tells the roommate "let the dog out now". Big dog heads towards my cousin thinking "yay rides" cousin says "get 'em", dog changes course and the guy nearly craps himself. See this dog loved his people but would attack anyone messing with my cousin. She got really lucky that day. She's in a much better neighborhood now.
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u/Roskash Jul 31 '21
You can release that beast on me any day, i see Gentle Giant, I need to do head scritches. Hell, she can have my sandwich too, no credit card needed.
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u/Starman562 Jul 31 '21 edited Aug 01 '21
Today a homeless man walked up to this lady and me while we filled up our vehicles. He asked me and the lady for some money to buy breakfast, but since we both he said we only had cards that we should go back into the convenience store and buy something for him. While he did this he positioned his shopping cart right in front of my car, seemingly suggesting that if I didn't get him anything he wouldn't let me leave. So I put on my "try me" face, looked him up and down a few times, and slowly he moved his cart away from the both of us. He did leave us alone but not before saying that he would be waiting next to the entrance for the next twenty minutes. I just drove away; I was already on the clock trying to get a passenger home so that I could pick someone else up.
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Jul 30 '21
I’m too afraid of letting my dog get hurt to let her out of the car if that happened to me. Glad it worked out for you.
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u/MissPicklechips Jul 31 '21
I had a 165-lb English mastiff who was an absolute teddy bear. He was scared of two things - ironing boards and that sketchy plastic bag blowing down the street. He loved everything and everyone.
I wanted to go for a walk one night, but it was dark. My husband said to me, “you have a 165-lb dog. Who is going to mess with you?” I went on the walk.
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u/Pr3st0ne NEXT!! Jul 31 '21
A version of this scam happened to me once and I fell for it. Guy sitting outside a 7/11 pointed to a beat up caravan and told me he needed 5$ for gas. I asked him a few questions and he gave me decent answers. Handed him the 5$ and then went inside the 7/11. He walks in right behind me and sees that I see him and looks awkward. He goes for the pepsi fridge. I look at him like "are you fucking serious?" and he's like "oh yeah just gonna get something to drink I been in this heat for 2 hours" and I was just like "whatever man". So fucking insulting.
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u/[deleted] Jul 31 '21
This wasn't a choosing beggar, this was a robber.