The summer scammers are out...

[Dreamstalker]

Just a random rant from wandering downtown yesterday...

--A friend calls them "clipboard panhandlers". A fairly scruffy-looking guy will have a clipboard and pledge sheet of the sort for the AIDS Ride (someone with that in the middle of November is a bit of a giveaway around here), etc. Sheet is very worn, and there's nothing official about it. If one looks closely at the sheet where vic--er, helpful individuals :rolleyes: are supposed to sign their names with the amount (there's nothing explaining the cause past what the fast-talker says) all the handwriting is the same. They'll try to talk you into giving $50 or more at a shot. They talk almost as fast as auctioneers, I swear.

Some may be legit, I don't know, but you'd think the legit ones employed/trained by an organization would not try to impede your progress if you make clear you're not interested (one got in my face and tried to prevent me from crossing a busy street).

I was wondering why they don't go after the people who actually look like they have tons of money, then decided that this was simply a newer version of stealing lunch money :rant:

[Banrion]

They do that here too. Everyday it's a different organization, but the same people trying to get donations. Most of them have learned by now not to bother me, it's really annoying when I am late for my train and they get in the way. I have to wade through 20+ everyday since I catch my train in the middle of the downtown tourist shopping. :rant:

[Kiwi]

ugh thats like the "charity" people outside LAX

jump on you the minute you get out the door into the lovely crisp LA air ... yeah right

then demand $20 for the children of "X" organisation, but they act like airport staff to start with, do you need help, where are you looking for... gimmie money!!

I got caught twice, now I just ignore them, which is a shame, im sure at least a few are genuine

[Dreamstalker]

Yup. I got caught once a few years ago by one of those guys for some childrens' organization (if you claim to be harassing people on behalf of a charity, I want to see legitimate literature and no, laminating an illegible hand-scribbled sheet of paper does not make it official). There are a few that I voluntarily donate to (local animal shelters/rescue and Spare Change homeless newspaper--one of the vendors is a good friend). I'll also give some change if I have it to a homeless guy on Newbury St who, while not a "licensed" street performer, is pleasant and funny.

A surefire way to get me to not donate to anything is to get in my face. The scammers are quite easy to spot as they will simply not take any form of no for an answer (as in, I ignore them but they get right up in my face anyway). Your cause may be legit, but I'm not particularly inclined to give you my money of which I have little. WTF is it with some of them actually trying to prevent you from walking away?

[BunnyJas]

I was in B&N the other day and this guy came up to me asking for a donation for the special olympics. He had a whole memorized speech about all the benifets of donating $20 and didn't even take a breath! The sound of his voice made me think he might have been mentally disabled, but he had no literature to prove that he was working with the special olympics. Fortunately before I could tell him no, a sales associate of B&N came over and told him that he could not solicit inside the store and escorted him out.

[Dreamstalker]

I think all organizations who send people out to pound the pavement should do what the Spare Change newspaper does; official vendors in their employ have nametags with the Spare Change info and a photo (the paper started to do this after they got wind of random homeless individuals stealing papers from the real vendors, hawking them and pocketing the cash).

[irateguy]

this sorta reminds me of my favorite homeless person. There is a guy who sits just across the street from great American Ballpark during Reds Games he has a sign that says " Why Lie To Folks I Need Beer"

[Cia]

We get the Irish Travelers ripping people off with 'home improvements and/or repairs'.

[TNT]

I walk three blocks to work and those same three blocks home again... in between, I'm likely to get three people trying to bum a cigarette, two people asking for "fifty cents... a quarter... anything... for food" (while standing right outside of a bar), and one person selling stolen stuff from the local mini-mart. My personal favorite was "Cat Guy." He'd pick up whatever stray cat happened to be on the street at the time, and say, "I'd really like to adopt this kitty, but I need money for cat food."

Hint: No matter what you're wearing, it's impossible to pull off the "gangsta" look when you're begging for quarters, cigarettes and kitty food.

[ladodger34]

Just a quick little story..

My buddies and I were smoking outside a bar many years ago (we live in CA, no smoking in bars). Some dude comes up and bums some changes off of us. We were a little buzzed so we gave the dude some of our loose pocket change. We finished up our smokes and head back to the far.

A while later we go out for another smoke break. The same guy approaches us and says "Can I get one of your smokes? I'll pay you for it." I looked at him and said "Yeah, you're gonna pay for one of my smokes with the money I just gave you. Why don't you just ask me for a smoke dude?".

[air914]

Here the legitimate organizations set up stations ON the road..... yep they have people stand in-between the lanes and carrying boots and you're supposed to put money in them. When it's firemen, it's usually for the "crusade for children". But I've seen supposed boy scout groups or "help the underprivileged children", etc. I never give money to them that way b/c first of all I think it's extremely dangerous for them to be on the road (and annoying). They do have flashing lights & firetrucks when it's the big crusade, but the other peope just have on those bright ugly "vests" and carry a boot or bucket or something....... I'm just always afraid someone will get hit - they are at stop lights and of course people should be stopping - but we've all known people that don't......... anyway, I'll give money online to a lot of organizations, but don't stand in the middle of the road and ask me for money and then make me feel guilty as I sit there waiting for the light to change and you walk up and down the road seeing if anyone has "changed their mind".

[Dreamstalker]

I've seen groups of kids like that, usually from one of the inner-city schools, on the entrances to the freaking Southeast Expressway :eek: (newsflash; you have no indicators of what you're doing and while those shirts are orange, they are not the blaze-orange that warn cars of people in the road). How they never get hit puzzles me.

Last summer a small gang of kids were selling "fundraising" candy out of wholesale-club boxes (fundraising candy is usually marked as such on the packaging, and this was not). As solicitation on subway trains is technically illegal (private property), they were escorted off the train and detained at the next stop.

I'll see a few homeless men on the subway; some are quite polite.

[BunnyJas]

I really hate it when organizations encourage kids to panhandle on busy streets. I see little league baseball teams camped out at busy intersections all the time begging for money so they can go on some trip. This crap is wrong on so many levels. First of all, it's very dangerous. One of these kids can get hit by a car or get kidnapped by some sicko because I usually see only a couple adults supervising six little boys during these things. Second, what ever happened to, I don't know, working for something you want?? What happend to bake sales, car washes or selling wrapping paper? These organizations are teaching these kids just to beg others for money if they want something. I've convinced myself that the next time I see this I will call said organization to tell them what I think about their tactics.

I'm not really crazy about this when adult charity organizations panhandle in the streets since I had one idiot walk right in front of my moving car so that she would be noticed. I mean do you really think I'm going to give you money after you've succeded in pissing me off??

[Dreamstalker]

Heh, I remember selling wrapping paper in grade school with contests between classrooms :)

What did happen to car washes, bake sales, etc to raise money? I'd be more likely to contribute money at a bake sale, lemonade/soda stand, yard sale, etc. A couple schools around here still have "fun fairs" and yard sales (kids and parents bring their unwanted stuff to sell with most of the proceeds going to the school).

That actually teaches business skills that kids are going to need. Not sure what playing in traffic with a money bucket counts as... :confused:

[Crow The Robot]

I loved bake sales. We had some for our literary magazine in high school. We sat in front of a local shop and had a sign, support: "Walnut Street Journal' (our magazine) , it was fun and we got to keep the unsold goodies Yum!:cool:

[Dreamstalker]

My college had a bake sale to help a much-loved cafeteria worker who was in a car accident (shortly before which she had been fired for unknown reasons). That was a lot of fun and we raised more money than I would have thought.

Now I find out that the guy I almost had to call the cops on in Harvard Square has moved to...Newbury St. (and here I thought he finally got arrested as a few business owners there seemed none too happy that he was bothering customers). In the Square he was avoidable if you knew how to get around, but here he's right at the main intersection (which you have to traverse to get to the subway).

Eh, he's technically on Virgin Megastore's property and I know he doesn't have a license to be doing this, so maybe they'll get sick of him.

[MadMike]

My current job is located in the city, and I often walk to one of the local restaurants for lunch. Back when I was still new at the job, and was much younger, more trusting, and more naive, I passed some homeless guy who asked me if I could spare a few dollars. He said he had just been released from the hospital, and hadn't had anything to eat all day. I felt bad for him, and gave him a few bucks. I didn't really want to give money away, but I did feel good that I was able to help someone out.

A few weeks later, I was heading out for lunch again, and wouldn't you know it -- I ran into the same guy. I'm terrible at remembering names and faces, and would never have remembered that it was the same guy, had he not hit me with the exact same story from before. I guess he scammed enough people that he didn't remember any of them, but I remembered his story. I told him I didn't have any cash, and walked away, and felt my faith in humanity take a dive.

These days, if someone asks me, "I don't have any cash on me."