Hmmm, dunno. I was walking out from work and this Indian Hindi speaking guy Sunil supposedly from Delhi tells me that he is visiting from Boston & got pick-pocketed losing his cellphone & wallet. Of course I though he was a fraud but still somehow & somewhy I gave him $25. I told him Taft if he's lying, I probably will never help a person in real need. He said he'll call me & return my money. I doubt... why?? He had good American accent when he said be just came here 4 months ago. Says he lived in London & New Zealand. Didn't have anybody's no# on him but could call phone & credit card company to cancle. Didn't need ride to bus station, had a cop looking out for him. Seems total fraud. I dunno why I did it, but just did. Guess I am not true New Yorker yet. Should have taken his pic atleast or a collateral, no?? Anyways, just an experiment I guess. We'll find out by tonight. Or an interesting story/blog to share. Lemme know what you think...
7 comments:
I think it's ok.
Sometimes you have to take a chance and decide it's worth the risk to try to help someone. Maybe he really needed help - then you will have done a very good deed. Maybe he didn't need help but will feel guilty and not try to hurt someone else.
Anyway, sometimes it's good to just go with your feeling - you never know what might happen.
Thanks Anonymous, I agree. Sometimes you have to take a chance (maybe i'll consider it a good/silly deed for my Tuesday Fastings), go with the feeling of the moment... as I did, I guess!!
That's kind of inspiring. Maybe to do small effort-ful favor for someone (anonymously??) is a good thing to do on a regular basis.
Hi another 'Anonymous', thanks for visiting, reading & commenting. Turns out this one was most probably a fraud (as expected). Havent got any email or call back or anything 'yet'. But you cannot or should not stop yourself from helping people or doing good deeds just because of some bad people like that (i guess). You gotta take your chances, that one time when your help makes somebody smile & happy & joyful (or something), it's mostly worth it. In this case, maybe notas much.. But I tried & have an experience to share... $25 worth of experience!!
(BTW, wouldn't hurt if you sign with your ID or just name... I get scared of Anonymous sometimes. But if you cant & prefer to write Anonymous, I understand)
Well.... MOST PROBABLY it was a FRAUD. No call/message/mail. Sucks, huh?? I guess I am still not a true New Yorker, or I got too much Indian(ness) alive in me. Conned by an Indian (Pakistani probably!!). I am not mad/upset, its just $25. But that could have been used in better way. Would have been nice if it got in right hands & would have helped somebody....
(& I could have doen this whole thing much better)
I saw the guy again near Bryant park day before yesterday at around 9 pm in evening. I was walking to Bryant Park for Bryant Park Film Festival and I see this guy walking towards me. I say hi & shake his hands, so does he. I remind him of the incident & he tells me I am mistaking him fro somebody else :-p. Now his name is Vikram. I tell him that I have his pic & I put him on my blog. He's like "show me the pic". I tell him that I am a filmmaker & write, working on a script on his story. The guy is totally baffled & sweating by now. Ran away as fast as he could saying... This only happens in USA!!
This is all in all a fun story & I dont regret it at all. I am sure I am gonna see him around more & will be lotta fun. I'll actually write a script on this too.
But lessons learnt: Take picture next time for sure & take a collateral too ;-)
Post a Comment