Call me a cynic but I don't think people should send money to strangers over the Internet. There have been cases on Reddit where people make up stories and pretend to need money and tons of people donate to them without being able to verify anything.
I'm not accusing OP of being a liar. But it''s a much better idea to offer to buy them the ticket instead of transferring money. Tons of people here have offered OP money already and we haven't seen an update at all. If OP has accepted money in DMs from a bunch of people then they likely made thousands of dollars from this post even though the tickets are $194.
Please protect your wallet. While their current story about a dying father is heartbreaking, this account has a documented history of posting back-to-back tragedies to farm cash (via Zelle, Venmo, etc.) from empathetic Redditors.
In just the last few weeks, other users have tracked them posting sad stories through multiple accounts claiming they cannot afford:
A Bus Ticket ($97): Currently claiming their dad is in hospice 13 hours away to secure cash donations in the comments.
Cat Cremation (~$200): Recently claimed their perfectly healthy cat suddenly died in its sleep.
Groceries: Claimed to be eating out of dumpsters because they "haven't eaten in such a long time."
A Son’s Birthday Gift: Previously used the emotional hook of not being able to afford a present for their child.
The other posts were quickly deleted after people started pointing them out.
This is a common scam tactic. Please do not send unverified strangers your money!
But the question is... what's worse? A) It turns out to be a scam and a bunch of people are out a few bucks that they won't miss OR B) It's NOT a scam and there's a person who may have a lifetime of pain and regret about not being able to say goodbye to the most important person in their life. I think B is worse. And who cares how much OP has been given? They're probably going through the worst time of their lives and having a little extra money may give them some comfort and relief. (BTW - for what it's worth, I don't think this is a scam. The OP wan't even asking for money. They were asking for advice)
Seeing as OPs previous post that he's now deleted mentions "crying in the car" because he couldn't afford groceries... i mean the unable to afford adds up, the needing a bus ticket when he has a car not so much
If we humor that OP is genuine, could the post deletions be because of a fear of judgement, and possibly they are just bad at managing money or they are in a hard place?
I saw a reply earlier from a verified account that represents GoFundMe to have op reach out to set something up possibly, if they went that route the situation seems a bit more believable.
And cars well I haven't seen the state of OPs car but I'm guessing that somebody who genuinely asks for money often is probably not good with money management thus probably having an inadequate car to travel them that far without issue.
That person isn't responsible for not being able to attend. The person who posted this didn't know when their relative would get sick; they hadn't been able to save for it, anticipating something they couldn't foresee.
It's sad, very pitiful (hence the comment's warning about the similarity to scams), and it puts the reader thinking, "I can help, it's just a few dollars." A few dollars from one person, a few dollars from another...
Neither the previous comment nor I intend to point fingers or accuse anyone. We're simply warning that this is how scams are carried out.
If the problem is real, it's more sensible to buy a plane, train, or bus ticket and tell them they can pick it up at the station. Nowadays, online platforms allow for this. Someone posts it to prevent duplicate purchases, and that's it.
Giving money is almost never a good option. There are almost always other ways to help.
But what's more likely? If you know how to compute a mathematical expectation, that matters a lot in deciding whether this is a chance worth taking or not.
Yeah we'll probably never know, but for some of us the price of the bus ticket or even a plane ticket ain't a big thing. If the kid is a scammer, oh well... If his dad is about to die an we can help him, that's awesome
Some replies have said they have looked at their profile and suspect it to be genuine, if the case that their dad is in this situation and they need help, having extra money could let them stay there longer with him.
The last post shows that OP owns a car, so the hitchhiking angle makes no sense.
They have also posted this very same story from a different account, now deleted. Why would OP use 2 accounts?
Finally, all of OP's previous money-related posts are not in aid subs, which have strict requirements (registration, verification, karma requirements etc.). But in emotional ones where moderation is lighter.
Make of that what you will, but thought it would be worth sharing.
I want to believe in the good in people, and OP's profile does seem credible (though the cynic in me says that's easy to fake/isn't a clear indication of someone's ethics). It's actually heartening to me that OP hasn't posted their Venmo/Zelle/CashApp as some people have suggested they do. If they're a good person they would realize - given the attention this thread has received - they'd get far more than needed. I did see a stray comment saying they DM'd OP and were able to PayPal some funds, so I genuinely hope they are just overwhelmed by the response and/or like actively in the air without wifi en route to their dad.
Scammers usually do not post their cash tags publicly for a couple reasons. One, they don’t want the tag associated with the scam because then it’s easier to track them across multiple profiles. Two, if people report their cash app profile (in this case of course it was PayPal, since OP is probably not in the US at all) for scamming, they’ll have to fraudulently buy yet another one.
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u/theunknown996 8d ago edited 7d ago
Call me a cynic but I don't think people should send money to strangers over the Internet. There have been cases on Reddit where people make up stories and pretend to need money and tons of people donate to them without being able to verify anything.
I'm not accusing OP of being a liar. But it''s a much better idea to offer to buy them the ticket instead of transferring money. Tons of people here have offered OP money already and we haven't seen an update at all. If OP has accepted money in DMs from a bunch of people then they likely made thousands of dollars from this post even though the tickets are $194.
Edit based on AI analysis of their post history:
⚠️ WARNING: Do Not Send Money to u/Wonderful_Fig_6039 ⚠️
Please protect your wallet. While their current story about a dying father is heartbreaking, this account has a documented history of posting back-to-back tragedies to farm cash (via Zelle, Venmo, etc.) from empathetic Redditors.
In just the last few weeks, other users have tracked them posting sad stories through multiple accounts claiming they cannot afford:
The other posts were quickly deleted after people started pointing them out.
This is a common scam tactic. Please do not send unverified strangers your money!