The first time I was approached by a panhandler was in the PetsMart parking lot.This guy said his car had run out of gas & he needed a few
dollars to get some. Said he had left his wife & kids in the car down the
street. The thought of the wife & small kids in a car stuck in traffic like that
made me sympathetic & I gave the guy a few dollars.

Only when I saw him again the next week with the same tired excuse for
money did I realize it was a scam. I never gave anyone money after that.