No, but then I don't tend to give beggars money. As I stated in another post, our city has some wonderful programs for people who need help; I pay my taxes and I don't feel obligated to give them money in addition to that. The majority of the homeless here who are begging are simply asking for booze money and it's obvious.

I did give a guy 10$ once who was begging on the side of the road, but he was a Rainbow Child and I know they really do need the money, so yeah.

Eh, not necessarily just from a beggar for me. Sometimes when I am at the arcade, there are people that ask for money "to make a phone call," or need a little bit more money to "catch a train." Depending my mood, I may end up handing them a few coins or I might make up an excuse and tell them I cannot. I am afraid if I say no, but have quarters jingling in my pocket, I might get jumped or something when I leave, heh (the neighborhood near the arcade is... not ghetto, but is not far from them).

It is also why I dislike city/urban areas as there can be major beggars or scam artists on the streets. In one part of my state, my family and I were walking through to get to a restaurant and a guy was handing out these little printed out fliers claiming he was deaf and if we could donate 2 bucks to him. My mother and I, not familiar with the area, accepted the papers for a moment, but my father insisted to just refuse them, keep moving, it isn't worth it.

If I have my wits about me, though, I do not give out money to beggars. I work hard for my money, and I happen to need it pretty badly too!

Hmm a lot of times people will say they need money for one thing or the other. If it is obvious to me that they are homeless or in trouble and I have extra money, I will give it to them. I mean as long as they aren't hurting someone I don't really mind what they do with the money. It's up to them to do the right thing from then on.

I've been scammed 5 Euros by a merchant once, I was going to buy something from him for 2 Euros, and the guy said he had change for a 5, so I gave him the 5 and he just took the thing and walked away.

Lol, I don't think that'll happen again.

Maybe. I usually give money to the people in front of my local liqourstore if they are trying to collect for a bottle of vodka, but I am pretty sure somebody has spent my coin given in good will to a busride. Or for food even.

4 dollars? Your buses are frikin expensive.
A guy tried giving me a ring he pretended to find on the ground. He was like "it not fit me see, you have."
He was an immigrant and had a gold tooth, I was certain he was up to something, he'd sell it not give me it. He handed me it and asked if I could give him some euros for a coffee, and thats all the evidence I needed. I put it down and walked away, and my friend pointed out he was pretending to find it again as 2 more tourists aproached.
So yeh, I never got scammed because I am a natural sceptic, lol.

Brigand :
Do you really think facilitating there addiction is a good idea.

thenumberone :
No. But I give if I feel like it.

Oh yea I was at work and I saw this guy standing at the corner with a sign that said I am homeless with four kids so I went to give him change, I gave him about 3 dollars.  Well later on that day towards the end of my shift I glanced out there to see how the guy was doing I saw him pull out a cell phone and a pack of cigarettes after finishing a giant bag of McDonald's.  I was pretty mad because if this guy was homeless and had kids he would go without cigs and use the money to buy his kids a loaf of bread and some bologna with the money he used on the mcds and cigs.  I can understand him having a cell phone to a certain extent but I was so mad I gave a friend five bucks to go kick him in the nuts.  so my day had a happy ending.

The are many situations where I could have been scammed. Where I live, when ever somebody encounters me (which doesn't happen much) they want $$ for beer, drugs, or cigs. I usually avoid giving cash like this.

No.

I have had so many people that do work for a living ask for a cigarette and not even smoke the thing.

Back east it is kind of customary to chat for a few seconds.
Out here on the west coast it is a different matter.
I only give cigarettes to the homeless.

I do not always give up the change like I did on the east coast.
But everyone's good enough for a smoke.

On the west coast there are so many who get welfare from the government already and still want to hustle or beg for change anyway.

I may never understand.
It is just the way it is.

Good Luck To All.
Peace.

Im pretty sure I was swindled by a homeless dude on the south side of Chicago. He had a clipboard with some ratty old paper attached and said he was taking donations for something. It was my first time in Chicago so I gave him a buck