1. Never let anyone hand you anything
2. Scams often have an urgency element to override your brain from thinking clearly

Scams like this make people not want to help legitimate people in need of help. There’s so many crooks in this city you can’t help but become jaded

I have no idea why people entertain these scammers for so long. You shouldn't have stopped to help someone on an active roadway anyway, 99.7% of Americans have a cell phone, and it puts yourself at risk of causing an accident. This isn't a country lane in Mayberry.

Furthermore you should have told him to go fuck himself the second he asked for money. I can't believe you offered to charge his phone for him. SMH people are so desperate for a personal warm fuzzy. Do something nice for a normal person, not a scamming asshole with his fuckyfucky paper "I don't pay toll" plates.

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He didn't know he was a scammer until after he pulled over to help. Jfc

My father would have died if no one pulled over to help him. Glad you weren't the one driving past.

Relax Reddit Himmler…

> scamming asshole with his fuckyfucky paper "I don't pay toll" plates.

My first thoughts. Paper plates = scammer. No way to trace. I wouldn't have even stopped.

Never pull over if someone is obviously alive (like a guy waving down cars). Call 911.

And he knew he was a scammer literally the second the guy walked over and started shoving yellow colored metal through the window. Nevertheless, OP continued indulging the psycho.

Common scam across the country. Good job catching the red flags.

https://www.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/xvwd0f/tifu_by_getting_scammed_for_2k/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

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I’ve seen this scam in person while walking but I’ve never seen it happen while driving.

I expect not a whole lot of people carry $400 on them so the energy it takes to stop someone in a vehicle and pull this on them with the chance of the driver having no cash and not near an ATM doesn’t seem like it’s worth it.

Then again with venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay etc I guess it could work.

Whenever someone walks over to my car asking for something i crack the window like 1 inch to speak to them. Never fully open your window.

was he overweight bald and white?

This is a very old scam. I never give money to anyone. I have offered to buy drinks, food, train tickets and sometimes they happily accept, though most of the time they come up with an excuse.

Tons of scammers out there, but there are also real people who may need help. I also take the time to listen to these scammers, hoping I can help. oh well.

You can call it a scam without using racist terminology

One should call the police to help stranded motorists.

Surprisingly I encountered the same scam in Queens while walking by an expensive SUV with out of state plates. He said he and his wife were from one of the Arab Emirates and offered jewelry for quick cash. Why he thought I was walking around with hundreds of dollars in cash was beyond me.

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Literally talking about scammers in the same context so yes you are. How are you this out of touch lmao

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You do see how this is bad don’t you? I truly do not understand how you are this disconnected from you are saying.

You must not live in the city otherwise you’d be too tied up listening to scammers than doing anything else.

OMG that story. Whyyy

I was with you until you did the karen NEXT

That sub should (hopefully) make you feel better about your life decisions.

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Thanks for being a Good Samaritan. However there are assholes all around. It’s a known scam but never seen it done with a broken car. There is this dude who lost his phone and can’t get home back to NJ and asks for cash. He also offered his watch as collateral. I didn’t give it to him. A week goes by I see him at the same spot with the same story. He approaches me. I told him, dude this happened to you last week! Lol!!

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Dude, my dad had this EXACT same scam in Salem, OR just a couple weeks ago. Apparently it's nation wide. Were they middle eastern?

I’m not the pope by any means. I try to listen/observe the person. I use my best judgement. I also have walked off with whatever scamming tool they hand me.

holy crap, this made me angry reading it. 2K to a stranger?

Extremely true. I grew up here and sometimes I feel like an asshole but I straight up ignore every single person who tries to get my attention unless they actively chase after me or get in my face (which almost never happens because it usually is a scam and they’ll just wait for the next person to pass by). C’est la vie in NYC