indyfabz

+1. If I gave $5 to, and bought a meal for, every homeless person I see every day I would need to take out a second mortgage. Every once in a while I will occasionally give Lawrence, a guy in a wheel chair who hangs outside my local liquor store, my change when I walk out. At least I know he's putting it to good use.

Back in the early 90s there was an infamous scammer in Philly. He would purchase some sort of bloody meat (probably liver), stuff it in his shirt and walk up to someone claiming to have been stabbed. He would then hit them up for cab fare to the hospital.

Then there was the well-dressed, well-spoken fellow who would claim to have come to town for an interview and had his briefcase with his wallet and train ticket home to D.C. in it stolen. People gave him A LOT of money. He would even take their names and addresses and promise to mail a check. He was finally arrested, but not before he scammed an untold number of people.