• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Some drunk woman was just knocking on my door at 11:30PM asking for cash, should I be worried?

Robin

Robin

Restless Insomniac
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,502
She said she was coming back from her aunt's house and her car broke down and she was trying to get cab fare home. I didn't have any cash in my purse and felt uneasy but I gave her 2 dollars in quarters and she just looked at me in disgust and asked for more.

I don't know. She is knocking on my neighbors door now. This seems very unusual to me but she also didn't seem threatening at all. She left like 10 minutes ago and I feel guilty for being so suspicious but here I am I guess.
 

Deleted member 51103

User requested account closure
Banned
Dec 20, 2018
174
Portland, Oregon
The "Car broke down" "need money for gas" "trying to pay for a train ticket" is a CLASSIC grift and is almost certainly bullshit.

Probably trying to get money for the next fix. Knocking on doors is crazy and means they are desperate.

Up to you if you feel like giving them money. Just know they are not going to spend it on what they say. Could be food, could be a hotel for the night, could be booze, could be anything.

They could also be trying to case your house for a burglary. Did they try and get a look inside to see if you are alone / have any obviously expensive items that would be good to steal?

edit:

As a side note, don't open your door for strangers.
 
super-famicom

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,149
You gave her something, which is more than nothing, so don't feel bad. Did you even see her car outside? Might have been a scam.
 
OP
OP
Robin

Robin

Restless Insomniac
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,502
honkycat said:
The "Car broke down" "need money for gas" "trying to pay for a train ticket" is a CLASSIC grift and is almost certainly bullshit.

Probably trying to get money for the next fix. Knocking on doors is crazy and means they are desperate.

Up to you if you feel like giving them money. Just know they are not going to spend it on what they say. Could be food, could be a hotel for the night, could be booze, could be anything.

They could also be trying to case your house for a burglary. Did they try and get a look inside to see if you are alone / have any obviously expensive items that would be good to steal?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I don't care what they do with the money, if I had it to give I would have. The burglary thing crossed my mind and I'd be lying if I'm not feeling neurotic about it but I highly doubt it, they didn't seem interested in what was going on in the house and I only opened the door a few inches.

super-famicom said:
You gave her something, which is more than nothing, so don't feel bad. Did you even see her car outside? Might have been a scam.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

No car on the road that I could see.
 

Marukoban

Self-requested ban
Banned
Oct 29, 2017
2,298
Don't open your door for strangers and especially not late at night.
 
Alucrid

Alucrid

Chicken Photographer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,413
i mean if it's false she's trying to scam if it's true she's a drunk driver
 
Eros

Eros

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,656
Yeah you're not getting me to open my door at 11:30 lol. If I'm even up.
 
Cation

Cation

The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
3,603
Did she put something in your door lock to jam it? or put a sticky note on it to mark it?

Could seriously be scouting for future burglaries.
 
saenima

saenima

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
11,892
Was she dressed in orange and kinda looked like you?

Invite her in for some taco bell.

She was probably looking for fix monies.
 
Zulith

Zulith

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,739
West Coast, USA
I've never had someone just straight up come to my door with this, but yeah I see it all the time. I get grifted like this maybe 5 or 6 times per day when commuting. Not just on the street... grifters come storming into train cars yelling that they need money for the hospital or similar urgent situations.

Just set a policy for yourself that you will give no money to anyone who asks. As long as you have a policy about it, it's easy to know what to do in those situations. Of course you can always break it if you are absolutely sure it's going to help someone, but generally... it's helping to fund their drug or alcohol issues.

No offense but if you happily hand out your money in this way you are just helping to perpetuate the problem.
 
OP
OP
Robin

Robin

Restless Insomniac
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,502
saenima said:
Was she dressed in orange and kinda looked like you?

Invite her in for some taco bell.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


giphy.gif


stOP
 

Marukoban

Self-requested ban
Banned
Oct 29, 2017
2,298
Robin said:
I didn't really want to but she sat on the porch knocking for quite awhile before we finally answered it. Me and Ketkat were eating Taco Bell in the kitchen lol and just staring at the door like "uhhh"
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

If I were you, I would've considered calling cops.
That's really creepy sitting in front of someone else's house 11.30 at night.
 
Crimson-Death

Crimson-Death

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,515
Purgatory
Zulith said:
I've never had someone just straight up come to my door with this, but yeah I see it all the time. I get grifted like this maybe 5 or 6 times per day when commuting. Not just on the street... grifters come storming into train cars yelling that they need money for the hospital or similar urgent situations.

Just set a policy for yourself that you will give no money to anyone who asks. As long as you have a policy about it, it's easy to know what to do in those situations. Of course you can always break it if you are absolutely sure it's going to help someone, but generally... it's helping to fund their drug or alcohol issues.

No offense but if you happily hand out your money in this way you are just helping to perpetuate the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


I will never forget this one nice guy, would give them his story, his game, they would come into the store and buy all kinds of food and water and drinks, or maybe they'd go get him some McDonald's from across the street. Three times he left the bag of food in the back of the building by the delivery ramp in front of the door, we'd find it hours later. Twice he gave me the MacDonald's food after the good samaritans were gone.
Nice guy though.
Eventually his habit killed him, he got all yellow and looked really out of it in the hot sun, when the ambulance that my coworker called for him got there, he refused to get on it until he finished his beer.
It was a high traffic area for narcotics there, all of them wanted to shoot up in our bathrooms after purchasing their crap in the motel or businesses next to us.
Yeah, once in awhile it's legit, but that kind of sketchy shit is always a scam, and it's best to let the cops handle it. Bad thing is, they sometimes didn't even show, or took an hour to check things out.
 

Deleted member 10629

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,238
If she's knocking on several doors she's just probably too fucked up to know what she's doing. Unless she comes back, I wouldnt escalate to the cops.

Just be careful next time.
 
h1nch

h1nch

Member
Dec 12, 2017
1,907
I'm sure the police could give her a ride home. Or somewhere else that's not near your residence.
 

Deleted member 1086

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,796
Boise Area, Idaho
Late at night she knocks on my door
She's drunk again and looking to score
Now I know I should say no
But that's kind of hard when she's ready to go
I may be dumb
But I'm not a dweeb
I'm just a sucker with no self-esteem
 
Zulith

Zulith

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,739
West Coast, USA
Crimson-Death said:
I will never forget this one nice guy, would give them his story, his game, they would come into the store and buy all kinds of food and water and drinks, or maybe they'd go get him some McDonald's from across the street. Three times he left the bag of food in the back of the building by the delivery ramp in front of the door, we'd find it hours later. Twice he gave me the MacDonald's food after the good samaritans were gone.
Nice guy though.
Eventually his habit killed him, he got all yellow and looked really out of it in the hot sun, when the ambulance that my coworker called for him got there, he refused to get on it until he finished his beer.
It was a high traffic area for narcotics there, all of them wanted to shoot up in our bathrooms after purchasing their crap in the motel or businesses next to us.
Yeah, once in awhile it's legit, but that kind of sketchy shit is always a scam, and it's best to let the cops handle it. Bad thing is, they sometimes didn't even show, or took an hour to check things out.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I could tell you a hundred interesting stories, but I'll never forget one time I was in line to get a breakfast burrito one morning, and this grifter was standing next to a guy in front of me and had convinced him to buy him some breakfast items, pretty good amount of food. I knew that was what was happening because I heard the entire conversation and how desperate the guy was for the food. Common sight actually.

But when I got my food and left, I headed to the station to get on the train, and I saw the dude who just got about $25 of free food from a stranger. He pulled out his wallet and paid for a fare, which is over $5. Then the dude proceeds to scarf down the food on the train while watching videos on his cellphone. This was no homeless person, destitute and nearing starvation, this was a person on their way to work/school who just wanted a free meal from a stranger.

That's just one of the main instances that really opened my eyes for how these grifters work. They have ZERO shame. Won't get a penny from me. I mean, admittedly at least the dude just wanted food, but he obviously didn't need to beg for it in this manner.
 
Last edited:
Kendall

Kendall

Banned
Apr 22, 2019
490
Don't give her money next time. Also, just letting you know now that there's a good chance she could be a burglar. We often see people like this probing the house for reactions and looking for signs of wealth.

Always acknowledge her even if you don't answer the door. If you act like you don't acknowledge her, she'll take this as a sign you don't notice her or you're not home, or that your home isn't secure. Tell her to go away next time and that you're calling the police.

Someone like this has been harassing my grandpa and tricking my aunt who has dementia. My Grandpa has had to add a security camera and call the police frequently.
 
Ketkat

Ketkat

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
4,727
I'm pretty sure it was just a scam especially since she was knocking on multiple homes loudly. Like, when she found out we didn't have $20, she asked for just 10 saying that she had cash already but needed more for a cab and a few other things that were odd. She wasnt like looking inside or anything.
 
Scrooge

Scrooge

Member
Oct 25, 2017
633
This is almost always a scam. Sometimes it's an even worse situation where the person is scoping out places.

Now, in your case, I'm certain it was not on the up and up because you said she looked disgusted when you gave her a small amount. That's typical druggie behavior when they don't get what they want. Of course, some druggies are good liars and can act appreciative, so you can't use a positive response as a guarantee that it's legit, but a negative response at a gift is a huge red flag.
 
Rygar 8Bit

Rygar 8Bit

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,854
Site-15
Standard grift. Did she look like she was looking into your house when you opened the door?

Ketkat said:
I'm pretty sure it was just a scam especially since she was knocking on multiple homes loudly. Like, when she found out we didn't have $20, she asked for just 10 saying that she had cash already but needed more for a cab and a few other things that were odd. She wasnt like looking inside or anything.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Guess that answers that, least she wasn't casing the place.
 
Last edited:
DvdGzz

DvdGzz

Banned
Mar 21, 2018
3,580
Never open your door. You call the non-emergency police line to request a check well being and try to give them a good description. It may be a known scammer.
 

Deleted member 8561

user requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
11,284
This is not only a common scam, but there are plenty of stories of this type of set up that ends with home invasions with people near by hiding waiting for the door to be opened to rush in.

Don't open your door to people at 11:30 at night
 

shark97

Banned
Nov 7, 2017
5,327
nowdays personally i just dont open the door unless i know the person. for one, 90% of people who cold knock doors in my subdivision are salesmen. it's 2019. some comedian has a riff about how in the good old days people's doors were always open, but now people call from their cell from the driveway and an unannounced knock sends everybody diving for the floor terrified.
 
BankaiZaraki

BankaiZaraki

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
632
You're lucky you we're jumped, robbed, or murdered. As others have said, do not under any circumstances open the door for a complete stranger. If you see someone lurking around like you stated, call the police and let them deal with it.
 

Phoenix944

Member
Oct 28, 2017
925
Don't open the door for stranger, especially late in the night. I have a coworker that got robbed like that.
 
Haribo

Haribo

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
979
How is this unusual? I don't know anyone who hasn't had to deal with this... do u live in Ohio or something

also do u have $4 for me to grab a 4for4 from wendys
 
You must log in or register to reply here.