Scam or not a Scam?

So, I get off Lake Shore Drive a little while ago. There's a car pulled over at the end of the exit ramp and a woman is out of the car looking like she's might need some help. There's a little boy in the back seat sticking his head out of the window.

The light turns red and I'm right there next to her. She looks to me and I roll down the window to see if there's anything I can do -- maybe give a jump or help her with a flat. That's about all I would be able to do.

So, she says, "can you help me out a little." I ask her what's wrong and she tells me that they had gotten lost and had run out of gas. I suggest that maybe I can drive her to a gas station. She says something like, "can you help me out with a little bit."

At first I think she's asking me to give her gas, but then I realize that she's asking for money. So I ask her, "are you asking me for money?"

She says yes and repeats that she's run out of gas. I again offer to drive her to a gas station. She then wanders off to the car behind me.

When the light turned green, I pull away and notice that a gentleman is sitting in the driver's seat?

I'm pretty much thinking it was a scam. She seemed much more interested in getting money, not gas.

Also, the exit I was getting off at is the one you would take to get to the Lincoln Park neighborhood, one of the City's richest and a good place to try to run a scam.

So, what do you think? Did I avoid a scam or did I leave a stranded motorist without any help?

 

Sounds like something out of 'Bonfire of the Vanities.'

 

Scam. Happened to me before.

 

There are cars constantly getting off at that exit. A couple of bucks at a time can add up pretty quickly.

 

depends on how many suckers fall for it. these folks will work a full shift.

 

Clearly a scam.

 

That is an old scam. Twice I've heard that line and twice I've turned the person down. The last time the guy was like "My green van broke down around the corner."

I told him I was out of money. He walked away, I drove around the block, no green van around the corner.

 

Was she wearing a burka?

What kind of car - Mercedes?

 

Total scam. My friend fell for it about a month ago in DC. The woman was very convincing and my friend is too embarrassed to admit how much she got scammed for.

 

A friend of mine was waiting out Princess Margaret Hospital got dinged for $40 by a guy using the same scam. A few weeks later he saw the guy giving the same pitch in a Tim Hortons parking lot in his hometown and a while later we were in a service centre on the 401 leaving a McDonald's when he saw the guy again.

The last two times he raised holy hell, screaming at the guy that he was a phony bastard and people should stay clear of him. Guy sure got around, hit enough people up for $40 at a crack and that shit adds up.

 

Would you have given them any money, Dyno?

 

i can't believe anyone fell for this. if they did, they deserved to lose their money.