Do they assume we're all rich and stupid?

[JR8]

Cut a long story short.

There used to be an elderly woman who used to approach me in NTUC and beg money off me. It happened on quite a few occasions. Curious, she looked entirely respectable otherwise, and she never seemed to recall that all her previous attempts had been 110% futile.

Then to my amazement, after a gap of maybe 4 years (we were elsewhere) it happened again just this week!

She acted all befuddled and confused when I said 'Ah yes you were the one begging off me here years ago!!'

I'd just about brushed off my surprise at that event, when I was in a nearby food-court deciding what to eat. Up sidled an old uncle, who started chatting, 'where are you from, where do you live, how long have you been here' etc. Then he wanted to shake hands [my 2c: take that as a major warning sign]. At which point, riled up by the last scammer I cut him short. No idea where that was headed, but I'm sure it wouldn't have been to my net-net pecuniary advantage.

Is it just me, or a bad week, and/or do others have encounters like this too?

[Beeroclock]

Reminds me of a weird experience I had about a year or two ago, being approached in millenia walk by a western lady, maybe 60 years old, dressed in tourist garb with the straw hat / suitcase etc, asking for money to make an urgent phone call to family and pointing to a nearby payphone. I asked how much she needs and she said whatever I can spare like $5 or 10. I was a bit confused and just handed over whatever coins I had in my pocket. She said thanks but didn't seem too happy, maybe expecting notes, and wondered slowly towards the payphone. I walked off about 20 metres and then thought WTF happened there and turned around and saw the same lady walking back to the spot where I met here. A few days later I see this lady in millennia walk again with her suitcase... Was very tempted to have a word to her, but decided just to leave it be and move on.

[JR8]

Reminds me of a weird experience I had about a year or two ago, being approached in millenia walk by a western lady, maybe 60 years old, dressed in tourist garb with the straw hat / suitcase etc, asking for money to make an urgent phone call to family and pointing to a nearby payphone. I asked how much she needs and she said whatever I can spare like $5 or 10. I was a bit confused and just handed over whatever coins I had in my pocket. She said thanks but didn't seem too happy, maybe expecting notes, and wondered slowly towards the payphone. I walked off about 20 metres and then thought WTF happened there and turned around and saw the same lady walking back to the spot where I met here. A few days later I see this lady in millennia walk again with her suitcase... Was very tempted to have a word to her, but decided just to leave it be and move on.

I had something not dissimilar happen to me in London. Accosted by a polite/well-dressed young lady on the street late one night*, 'Can I have a tenner to buy petrol, I've run out and I need to get home!?'. Here's my car [gets in] what's your address so I can send a cheque, here's my details.... etc.

Reckon you only fall for these things once. Yours is a weird one though, unexpected in a place like SG, presumably why it works.

The one in London, that was apparently probably a high-functioning smack or crack-head, but who knows.

p.s. On another occasion I was accosted by a young very posh English guy in Delhi (Jantipath?), tales of woe, lost passport, 'there are maggots living in my legs' (!?) 'need to get home' etc. But he was so far gone and addled it was beyond creepy... like looking into a mirror and seeing a place you pray you never go... [heavy].


* Just around the corner from where I lived, so I had the sense of an added 'my neighbourhood, home ground, I know this place and what goes on 101%'

[ecureilx]

..

me thinks you should travel around the region more often

take in Philippines, a lot of guys walking, and a group of street kids on the other side of the road spot me, and aim straight for me ..

or while waiting in an ATM Queue, among the dozens of guys/gals, the street kids spot me and hit on me ..

Why me ??

[Steve1960]

Reminds me of a weird experience I had about a year or two ago, being approached in millenia walk by a western lady, maybe 60 years old, dressed in tourist garb with the straw hat / suitcase etc, asking for money to make an urgent phone call to family and pointing to a nearby payphone. I asked how much she needs and she said whatever I can spare like $5 or 10. I was a bit confused and just handed over whatever coins I had in my pocket. She said thanks but didn't seem too happy, maybe expecting notes, and wondered slowly towards the payphone. I walked off about 20 metres and then thought WTF happened there and turned around and saw the same lady walking back to the spot where I met here. A few days later I see this lady in millennia walk again with her suitcase... Was very tempted to have a word to her, but decided just to leave it be and move on.

Had exactly this outside terminal 3 Heathrow airport last year. Young pretty girl with suitcase asking for money to call family. I also gave coins and walked away knowing it was a scam doh.

[zzm9980]

..

me thinks you should travel around the region more often

take in Philippines, a lot of guys walking, and a group of street kids on the other side of the road spot me, and aim straight for me ..

or while waiting in an ATM Queue, among the dozens of guys/gals, the street kids spot me and hit on me ..

Why me ??

Because the Indian (looking, I know you're not) person in their country is assumed to be a business man better off than them.

[nakatago]

..

me thinks you should travel around the region more often

take in Philippines, a lot of guys walking, and a group of street kids on the other side of the road spot me, and aim straight for me ..

or while waiting in an ATM Queue, among the dozens of guys/gals, the street kids spot me and hit on me ..

Why me ??

Because the Indian (looking, I know you're not) person in their country is assumed to be a business man better off than them.

Two words: five six.

[AngMoG]

..

me thinks you should travel around the region more often

take in Philippines, a lot of guys walking, and a group of street kids on the other side of the road spot me, and aim straight for me ..

or while waiting in an ATM Queue, among the dozens of guys/gals, the street kids spot me and hit on me ..

Why me ??

... and that's why I try to avoid outside ATMs in Manila

And take car much of the time.

[Beeroclock]

Reminds me of a weird experience I had about a year or two ago, being approached in millenia walk by a western lady, maybe 60 years old, dressed in tourist garb with the straw hat / suitcase etc, asking for money to make an urgent phone call to family and pointing to a nearby payphone. I asked how much she needs and she said whatever I can spare like $5 or 10. I was a bit confused and just handed over whatever coins I had in my pocket. She said thanks but didn't seem too happy, maybe expecting notes, and wondered slowly towards the payphone. I walked off about 20 metres and then thought WTF happened there and turned around and saw the same lady walking back to the spot where I met here. A few days later I see this lady in millennia walk again with her suitcase... Was very tempted to have a word to her, but decided just to leave it be and move on.

Had exactly this outside terminal 3 Heathrow airport last year. Young pretty girl with suitcase asking for money to call family. I also gave coins and walked away knowing it was a scam doh.

young and pretty.... straw hat accessory not needed in this case

[JR8]

me thinks you should travel around the region more often
take in Philippines

But, come on, this is Switzerpore we're talking about, it's not Philidesh!

[Max Headroom]

I had that happen to me here a couple of times, albeit quite a few years back now. This Asian chap was a particularly strange case, because he was well-dressed and, in way better than average English, asked me if I could spare "some money". No "for a cab" or "to make a quick call", just "some money".

I know this is Singapore, but I had visions of him snatching my wallet and making a run for it, so I turned him down with a "No, thank you."

I really do wonder what's the story there though. What's with these people? Gambling addicts? Ah-long issues? Or Woodbridge escapees?

[nakatago]

I had that happen to me here a couple of times, albeit quite a few years back now. This Asian chap was a particularly strange case, because he was well-dressed and, in way better than average English, asked me if I could spare "some money". No "for a cab" or "to make a quick call", just "some money".

For what it's worth, you gotta admire the guy for his candor.

[JR8]

I really do wonder what's the story there though. What's with these people? Gambling addicts? Ah-long issues? Or Woodbridge escapees?

The auntie who has attempted doing it to me twice was similar, she just walked up as I was browsing the boxes of cereal in NTUC, no hello, no excuse me, nothing, just 'Can you give me $5?' [or very similar]. I actually think that's why it annoyed me SO much, as it was so brazen. No fake sob-story, not a street-beggar, nothing, just outright begging, inside a busy supermarket. I saw her in there again a few days later furtively wondering around, so maybe that's her patch.

The schmoozing uncle at the food-court. I expect he thought I was in the queue for that particular stall, and so was a captive victim.

Begging in public is illegal here (IIRC), maybe it's not in a private place?

[ecureilx]

I really do wonder what's the story there though. What's with these people? Gambling addicts? Ah-long issues? Or Woodbridge escapees?

The auntie who has attempted doing it to me twice was similar, she just walked up as I was browsing the boxes of cereal in NTUC, no hello, no excuse me, nothing, just 'Can you give me $5?' [or very similar]. I actually think that's why it annoyed me SO much, as it was so brazen. No fake sob-story, not a street-beggar, nothing, just outright begging, inside a busy supermarket. I saw her in there again a few days later furtively wondering around, so maybe that's her patch....?

cost of living gone up I guess

previously the request was 2$ ...

I once to find out the story offered an old lady asking 2$ from people passing by why she need the money .... answer .. for dinner, when it was lunch time ..

and a few colleagues, Expats mostly, never failed to give her 2$ of more

her home turf is tampines / century square area ... and carefully she avoids Chinese looking people ...

Max headroom

I know enough Chinese old folks who have high 6 figure savings in the bank, own apartment, rent out a room or two, but still do part time work, some (though a rare few) directly ask money, or have no qualms asking others to buy food or rations ... because they all admit they are saving for a rainy day

[Mi Amigo]

Warning: Best not to read this before dinner (or just after dinner for that matter).

This happened to me a few times too - not many times over a ten year period, and it still surprised me every time. The weirdest (and most disgusting) time was when a well-dressed chap came up to me and then proceeded to show me some kind of medical paraphernalia that was connected to his body via various tubes and which included a bag with some evil-looking bodily fluids in it. This was in the area near the Merlion and I'd seen him accosting a couple of other passers-by before I entered his radar zone. He proceeded to regale me with a wild, highly improbable tale about how he needed money for his medical treatment (the details of which made no sense at all, even to my medically untrained ear) and he asked if I'd give him $50 to help.

As I didn't believe a word of the man's story (and he was unable to produce any paperwork to back it up) I told him that he should be ashamed of himself for trying to con people out of money in such a disgraceful way. He then shouted a few choice insults at me and my fellow Ang Mohs, and wandered off to look for some more likely donors. He probably had more success with the tourists that with the resident foreigners he approached.