Being a good Samaritan can be risky!

[Dr mojo]

Coming off the M1 saw a VW passat on hard shoulder of exit slip, Driver flagging down traffic. I pulled over to see if I could help. I wound down my window as he approached when he started to give me a story of running out of Petrol, wife pregnant trying to get to hospital. His credit card not working..... I had switched off at this point ( mentally not the car) and told him no I could not give him any money and drove off. WTF! Is it no longer appropriate to pull over and help someone who may be in trouble? Have to say I had my little boy with me and afterwards realised it could have easily turned into a car jacking. It's a shame that you have to think twice about doing good deeds nowadays.

[Brigand]

Meanwhile, distraught Passat owner is panicking as his wife is in labor on his back seat, and he doesn't know where to turn as his car's ran out of fuel, he hasn't got his phone or wallet as he left it at home in the rush to get the wife to hospital, and nobody is willing to help him.

I see what you mean though, assuming what I've just written was not the case, that's quite a ruse to get some money, a bit of a step up from stranger on the highstreet asking for a few quid to get the bus home etc.

[Harpo]

On the radio in the past hour ...... breakdowns well up due to running out of fuel. Drivers not able to afford petrol.
May have been genuine but no way of telling.

[Pommygranite]

I hope for your sake Karma Isn't real.

[uk_vette]

It does sound like a fair story, but who knows if it is true.

I guess it could be true, as who would go to all the trouble of stopping on a motorway slip road.

I think if it was me, I would have given him a tenner, and a piece of paper with either my mobile or email.

He could be genuine, and return the tenner later.

I think for most people, a tenner isn't life or death, but in his case it could be quite serious.

Vette

[APanda]

This happened to my Grandparents the other week. A couple of eastern europeans, were pulled up on a B-Road flagging people down. They ended up getting quite shouty and forceful, leaning in the window etc. My Grandma was pretty scared and said she would have given them the money, luckily my Grandad was there and he "didn't fight in the war for other people to take money off them at the side of the road etc etc."

[Zaxxon]

So his wife is getting ready to drop and he is not ensuring that his car is ready for the big race by having more than enough fuel in it at all times?

Future Dad fail.

[Changedmyname]

Thing is that most people have a mobile phone nowadays if was that important then he could phone the emergency services ,or asked someone else to.

[sunbeam alpine]

This was quite a common scam in Belgium and France last summer, although it usually took place at a motorway services.

Story goes along the lines of desperately trying to get home due to illness/family bereavement and card refused/no money for fuel. They have false ID and give their name and address to the good samaritan, promising to send money back, but never do.

[ashjones]

Local 'traveller' girls are approaching people on petrol station forecourts and giving sob stories about needing to visit their seriously ill grandmother who lives miles away and they have no fuel. If only somebody would give them £10.

It's a well known scam and they do it every day at a different petrol station.

[ZOLLAR]

Dr mojo said:

Coming off the M1 saw a VW passat on hard shoulder of exit slip, Driver flagging down traffic. I pulled over to see if I could help. I wound down my window as he approached when he started to give me a story of running out of Petrol, wife pregnant trying to get to hospital. His credit card not working..... I had switched off at this point ( mentally not the car) and told him no I could not give him any money and drove off. WTF! Is it no longer appropriate to pull over and help someone who may be in trouble? Have to say I had my little boy with me and afterwards realised it could have easily turned into a car jacking. It's a shame that you have to think twice about doing good deeds nowadays.

I agree with what you did, especially if I had my children with me.
He could have asked you to to phone for help on your mobile rather than money.

When my ex was pregnant with our 2 kids I made sure that there was always petrol in the car and that my phone was fully charged in the morning so it was ready for use all day.
Also had each of the grandparents follow us down on each occasion, If you're going to be a parent act like one and be responsible.

[Hugo a Gogo]

sunbeam alpine said:

This was quite a common scam in Belgium and France last summer, although it usually took place at a motorway services.

Story goes along the lines of desperately trying to get home due to illness/family bereavement and card refused/no money for fuel. They have false ID and give their name and address to the good samaritan, promising to send money back, but never do.

I got it once, told them to bring the car round and I'd fill it up for them (on the company!) - funnily enough there was no car (or it was already full and they didn't want to be given away)

[AJS-]

Harpo said:

On the radio in the past hour ...... breakdowns well up due to running out of fuel. Drivers not able to afford petrol.
May have been genuine but no way of telling.

His wife going into labour in the Passat would have been a tell tale sign.

My OH is 7 months pregnant, so still a couple of months to go and I have petrol in the car and cash for a taxi at all times, plus the number for an ambulance if all else fails. Not proof that he was on the make, but it sounds pretty far fetched to me. Why was he asking for money (??), rather than, as I would, a lift to the closest hospital and don't spare the horses.

Last time I was a good samaritan and stopped to see if I could help a broken down car on the side of a fairly rural road the snotty cretin put his window down about an inch and said quite curtly that he had a phone and didn't need my help, thank you. Then closed the window.

[Pints]

ZOLLAR said:

He could have asked you to to phone for help on your mobile rather than money.

This.

It was a scam. HTH.

In SA you drive over a body lying in the middle of a deserted road.
At least we haven't reached that point in the UK... yet.

[GTIR]

I had a Eastern European bloke come up to me at the services holding a fuel can.
"Please sir, I have no money, I'm on my own and I need to get back home urgently as my wife is having a baby - a little boy we're calling him Joseph - and I need some fuel"
"Show us your car keys then" I said
"Oh, my wife has them" he replies indicating in no particular direction
"I thought you were in your own?"
"Er, no my wife is in the car" he stuttered
"What, having a baby! You need an ambulance not petrol. Let me ring one for you" as I get my phone out he says something in Polish/Russian spits on the foot and stomps off.

"But what about Joseph?" I shout. (actually I didn't but it just popped into my head now)

[Yiliterate]

Brigand said:

Meanwhile, distraught Passat owner is panicking as his wife is in labor on his back seat, and he doesn't know where to turn as his car's ran out of fuel, he hasn't got his phone or wallet as he left it at home in the rush to get the wife to hospital, and nobody is willing to help him.

So distraught Passat owner decides to try and scrounge enough money from passers-by to buy sufficient petrol to get to the hospital (and a jerry can to carry it back to the car presumably, having walked all the way to the nearest garage) rather than, say, asking them to call for an ambulance or, being a dire emergency, actually drive their wife to the hospital...

Think I might well have taken the same course of action as the OP in that situation.

[Triumph Man]

Dr mojo said:

Coming off the M1 saw a VW passat on hard shoulder of exit slip, Driver flagging down traffic. I pulled over to see if I could help. I wound down my window as he approached when he started to give me a story of running out of Petrol, wife pregnant trying to get to hospital. His credit card not working..... I had switched off at this point ( mentally not the car) and told him no I could not give him any money and drove off. WTF! Is it no longer appropriate to pull over and help someone who may be in trouble? Have to say I had my little boy with me and afterwards realised it could have easily turned into a car jacking. It's a shame that you have to think twice about doing good deeds nowadays.

Definitely a ruse, I'm sure VW haven't sold a petrol Passat for years

[benjj]

This is what differentiates true petrolheads from others.

My wife was due on New Year's Eve just gone. We live in the wilds of the Yorkshire Dales where a couple of feet of snow is possible overnight.

I took great pleasure in prepping the car - decent tyres, snow shovel, emergency bag, tow rope, jump leads, spare fuel etc. Like planning for an arctic adventure.

The baby came on Jan 5th when it was sunny and 9 degrees.

[Dibble]

Pioneer said:

Yeah make sure you've got the number for an ambulance written down at all times!

Its 999, you 'tard.










Or 112 if you're feeling a bit, y'know, "European"...

[15peter20]

I had this happen to me in Notting hill - attractive blonde approached me and gave a ludicrous sob story involving car with no petrol, phone and card issues etc. When I politely declined to assist she turned aggressive and shouted abuse before heading off to find another victim. Total chancers