scammed (not)

a little over a month ago me and heidi were leaving a local bar. as we were getting into the car this man approached us. he said "hi my name is (whatever name it was he said) and i'm a teacher up in (some place far away). i have been visiting my friend (gives friends name and room number) at the hospital right down the road all day and my car was broken into. all my cards and money and checks have been stolen. is there anyway you can spare some change please. i have no gas and no way to get back home." me and heidi both thought the story sounded kinda fishy,but gave him a couple dollars just to leave us alone.

reasons why the story was fishy: the bar we were at was NO where near a gas station. if you need gas to get home, wouldn't you be relatively near a gas station and trying to get money THERE? also, if you were visiting your friend in the hospital ALL DAY wouldn't you eat or drink something at some point? why would all your money be in the car? the third reason this sounded fishy to me was because i had heard pretty much the exact same story about a year ago when i was leaving a sushi restaurant. except this guy was from Oregon, not up north.

anyway, fast forward to the present. i'm arriving home at about 1130 at night after birthday dinner with my parents. i hadn't even had time to turn off my car when another car backs in next to me so their drivers side on the same side as my drivers side. he motions for me to roll down my window. so i do,about halfway. dude then proceeds to inform me that he was from up north and was visiting a friend in the hospital...at this point i rolled my eyes. he asked me what was wrong. not wanting to call him out on his BS and make him angry i just said "i'm just really tired and want to get into my house" he says "oh ok, i just have no money, everything was stolen.." i said "i have no money either,sorry!" he then,thankfully,drove off.

i'm not sure if my super cool 2000 mazda protege with the cracked windshield,missing left hubcap and broken drivers side mirror makes me look really rich, or if i,as a person, just look like a huge dummy, but i'm not sure why this keep occurring to me. i'm pretty sure the same guy who tried to bum from me at my house is the same one who approached me and my roommate at the bar.

anyway, this is just a warning, if someone approaches you and gives you a story similar to this, do not fall for it! unless you feel that you would be in danger if you didn't give him money, then by all means, go for it. but please, just be careful!