Bear with me on this...
Years ago, I went to Memphis, TN. While there I noticed that this place was packed with panhandlers. I think that Seattle has more homeless people (of the cities that I've personally visited), but Memphis has more people begging for money. Keep that in mind...
An old friend of mine, Shawn Morton, lived in Memphis while going to school. He told me a story about a guy that used to ask for money. Supposedly this guy was well dressed and carried a briefcase. He would ask would-be providers of money for a small amount of cash to bring the total amount of cash he had on-hand to purchase a ticket. This ticket would allow him to make a trip that, if I remember the story correctly, could get him to an important job interview or something or another. Anyway...
So Shawn sees this guy out at the bar one night on Beal Street. He says something like, "Hey man, aren't you the bus ticket dude?" The bus ticket dude acknowledges himself as such and freely admits that he actually makes good money on a daily basis (obviously, there is no job interview waiting for him) - in essence, panhandling. He was enjoying some drinks on Beal Street so I guess there is truth in what he says. Still with me? Tying it all together about now...
I walked out of the bank today and was pulling out the lot. A guy flagged me down. Now, I've been carjacked before and this is how it started. But I throw caution to the wind and roll down my window. The dude starts into his story...
"Blattity blah blah blattity blah blah blah blattity blattity blah blah blattity blattity blattity blah blah blah blah blah blattity blah blattity blah blah blatitty blah blah blattity blatitty blah blah blah blatitty blah..."
(I think I remember him saying something about a wrongful conviction or something. He spoke so fast. He was a machine!)
I interrupt him, "What do you want?"
"Blattity blah blah blattity blah blah blah blattity blattity blah blah blattity blattity blattity blah blah blah blah blah blattity blah blattity blah blah blatitty blah blah blattity blatitty blah blah blah blatitty blah..."
(This part had something to do with a baby mama and a kid and maybe even a job interview. So many words. And I don't know if I heard him take a breath or even use punctuation)
"What do you want?!" I interrupted again.
"Blattity blah blah blattity blah blah blah blattity blattity blah blah blattity blattity blattity blah blah blah blah blah blattity blah blattity blah blah blatitty blah blah blattity blatitty blah blah blah blatitty blah I need $49.50 for a bus ticket and I'm short $15"
Holy fucking shit! Did this guy just try and run the bus ticket scheme on me? Wow. I mean, WOW! I feel special :)
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The other angle that same guy worked was that he needed to get back to college. He had been wrongly expelled and was just reinstated (he even had letters from the school to show if needed). The only catch is that he *had* to be back at school by Monday morning (this scam was always most profitable on the weekends)! He would tell the mark that he had made it as far as Memphis and now he was stranded.
He had the routine down to a science. He would lurk on the sidewalk between Beale Street and the Peabody Hotel (which caters to higher-end customers) and approach people as they returned to the hotel (hopefully, a little tipsy). Plus, the Greyhound station downtown was just a block away which gave some credibility to his story.
He was careful with the amount he asked for so he could get people to give him more money. For example, if you say you need $16, you will likely just get a $20. People won't want to ask for change.
It was a very well-planned idea. I'm assuming that he made some decent money that way.
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