I am nearly positive I got taken for 20$ today.
I was walking home from the train, and was stopped by a very pleasant black man with a train schedule, who looked like he wasn’t quite sure where he was going. I had my headphones on, but paused to talk to him, assuming he just needed directions. He proceeded to spin a tale of lost wallets, no way to get home (home apparently was way up in Poughkeepsie) and tales of his job as a chef for IBM. He even had a uniform, albiet it did not have his name on it, and it looked somewhat ill used. But hey, maybe thats what a chef would look like. I may call IBM anyway to find out.
He was a nice guy. He needed directions, and train fare.
Train fare, however, was like 16$, so I ended up giving him a 20.
I didn’t have to, I could have told him where the train was, and said I didn’t have the cash to help him out. I have been taken by a scam man with a similar story (about Brewster) once before, but I always seem to figure that if it were me on the other side of the street, could I depend on some random act of kindness to get me home.
I personally hope the guy wasn’t lying, although I assume he was. If he used my money to buy shit other than transportation, I hope he chokes or OD’s on it.
Karma is one of those things I truly hope influences life in more than a philisophical manner.