Scam?

[slickpoppa]

Have you ever been walking around in a city and had a young black teenager with some semi-official looking piece of paper ask you for money so that his basketball team could buy uniforms? This has happened to me in several different cities. Is this a common scam or are there really a lot of inner city basketball teams that are that desparate for uniforms?

[istewart]

Usually they want to sell candy for their church. If I'm hungry I'll buy it, if I'm not screw it. It's usually like a Snickers for $3.

I'd say 50/50 on it being a scam.

[Dead]

linky (http://www.gothamist.com/ask/archives/2004/04/15/those_kids_on_the_subway.php)

[slickpoppa]

Selling overpriced candy is one thing, but the kids i've seen were just soliciting pure donations. Pretty ridiculous that people actually give them money

[NLSoldier]

LMFAO, this dude was actually inside my dorm and knocked on my door yesterday. He talked SUPER fast and i couldnt make out much of what he said but I caught something about youth basketball and fighting drugs.....riiiiight.

I bought a pack of peanut butter cups and a pack of butterfingers for $10 only to see him being hauled away by campus police about 5 minutes later /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[istewart]

[ QUOTE ]
LMFAO, this dude was actually inside my dorm and knocked on my door yesterday. He talked SUPER fast and i couldnt make out much of what he said but I caught something about youth basketball and fighting drugs.....riiiiight.

I bought a pack of peanut butter cups and a pack of butterfingers for $10 only to see him being hauled away by campus police about 5 minutes later /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

lmao

[stanky]

I don't trust anyone who tries to sell me something on the street, I think they're lying 98% of the time. I think what got me thinking this way was when I saw some report on 60 Minutes, or a show like that, which found that some of those "homeless" people who beg at that major intersection you cross on your way to work aren't actual homeless, and that they pull in some pretty good coin.

My dad probably had an influence too, he use to tell me, "When it comes to money everyone's trying to screw you."
Probably the best advice he's given me.