Have I been tricked by this guy?

College Confidential Community
1

<p>This morning, when I was walking to class, an old guy stopped me and greeted me. He said he is a sergeant and is seeking help for our troops. He showed me his bag that says his name and rank or something like that. He asked me to donate for the guys who fought and gave it their all. I looked inside his envelope that he puts money in, and they were a bunch of one dollar bills. I thought it wouldn't be bad to show a nice gesture, so I took out my wallet. When I was getting the money out, he said "Put in some of those 20 bills to support our guys". I thought he was kidding, so I put in a one dollar bill and 25 cents. He looked at me and said "That's a one dollar bill. Come on man, support our guys".</p>

<p>I realized that he was serious, so I told him that he was asking too much and gave him another one dollar bill. Common sense told me that something wasn't right and I better quit playing nice and leave. I'm sure that you can't demand how much someone can donate. And now that I think about it, it doesn't make sense for a vet to go around campus asking for money, either. I had no clue who he really was, and the guy had a really heavy southern accent as well. I have to wonder if he will really use them right.</p>

2

<p>I think you were had, but at least you lost only $2.25! An inexpensive lesson.</p>

3

<p>I still remember when I gave money when I was young to someone with a gas can “who just needed a couple bucks for gas to get home” in another city. It happens. Let it go. </p>

4

<p>Legitimate charities usually sit at a folding table and take a lot of time to explain exactly what the money is going for.</p>

5

<p>You probably got taken. Consider it an opportunity to think about what your response will be the next time you are approached cold and asked for money. Just like @tempemom, I’ve been hit up for gas money. When the same guy was out of gas downtown on three DIFFERENT occasions, I called him out. I had never given him any money, but he was definitely making a living by telling his story about how his delivery truck was out of gas.</p>

6

<p>Damn, you got off easy. Here the biggest you can hope for is to keep yourself alive if someone comes up and sees money in your wallet.</p>