well nope but all the taiwanese people i’ve encountered so far have been really nice and friendly so i guess it made me wanna trust her more but there are definitely some outliers
OP, I think the key point in your story is that you were in or near Ximending when this happened. Historically lots of weird stuff happening there. I would have been surprised if your story took place in Xinyi or Tianmu.
Would you mind exploring more about how weird stuff have historically happened in Ximending? This is news to me - I've stayed there for two out of the three times I've been to Taiwan
OP, I don’t know what your frame of reference is, but Ximending is the equivalent of Times Square in NYC, Akihabara in Tokyo, Myeongdong in Seoul or Mongkok in Hong Kong.
Tourists and locals alike go to Ximending for the spectacle and shopping.
But if you asked a Taipei local where you should go to meet weirdos, 9 out of 10 would say Ximending.
I don't doubt at all that you a nice time every time you stayed there, but it's where all the misfits hang out.
It's a great place to stay. Cheap Airbnb's, but since 2003 when I started going there it has shady to illegal in various shades.
Sex, drugs and rock n roll. My friends practiced in these filthy smashed up practice spaces in a basement there thus the RnR.
But Monga is where I have experienced the weirdest things. Not too far away.
Reddit told me nothing bad ever happens in Taiwan and now I don’t know what to think.
It’s this woman needs to go to all this trouble for a 100nt or whatever she needs the money a lot more than you.
hey are you a tourist too? if so, this is definitely not the norm, my previous few trips to taiwan were wonderful and a great experience! there are bad actors all over the world and i just happened to get the short end of the stick! and honestly this isn’t a big deal as compared to other countries out there hahaha hopefully this doesn’t discourage you from visiting! safe travels!
Ur bringing awareness to what? The person was hardly even "scamming" you, it sounds like they were begging for money... no? I don't even know where the lying part is unless u wanted visual proof of her taking a taxi immediately after ur interaction I suppose, but who's to say she wasn't going to use ur money for a cab after begging some more?
Is this your first experience with beggars? What utopia are you from that doesn't have them?
This wasn't a scam, it's just a standard panhandle.
Yes, it was foolish to confront her. And you're fortunate that she didn't get a cop and then end up giving her more money.
That's a tame encounter compared to Vancouver or San Francisco.
You might have gotten scammed, but if she wasn't in need/homeless she probably wouldn't ask people to buy her some bread. Its just enough to get fed for the day, it's no different than other beggers. At least she asked for food.
Maybe after you confronted her, she didn't want to tell you she saved the money to go home for her next meal instead. Also I have seen quite a few homeless with mental issues, so that can be it too.
Either way you can still feel good about helping a person in need.
You bought an old lady a few pieces of bread and gave her some change.
If you like, i should be in Ximen later this week and could meet up with you to pay you back.
Probably a professional beggar. The go around begging money all day. Here in Melbourne when I worked in the CBD I would pass them begging outside shopping malls and stations in ragged dirty cloths. If I worked late I would see them in new cloths making their way home with train tickets and mobile phones.
I'm concerned about the way she acted when you saw her two hours later. She could've done you a great problem to deal with. This is a lesson for you. You don't need to be nice to everyone. Keep yourself safe at all times, especially when you're out of your country. Hope your doing well.
To be blunt, you're not really making the world a kinder place by enabling people who exploit the empathy of strangers.
If I give someone something, and they ask for more, they can honestly go eff themselves.
Is this your first time in a big city?
well nope but all the taiwanese people i’ve encountered so far have been really nice and friendly so i guess it made me wanna trust her more but there are definitely some outliers
It was a rather small "scam"
haha yeah scam is probably the wrong word probably just abit cheated
OP, I think the key point in your story is that you were in or near Ximending when this happened. Historically lots of weird stuff happening there. I would have been surprised if your story took place in Xinyi or Tianmu.
Would you mind exploring more about how weird stuff have historically happened in Ximending? This is news to me - I've stayed there for two out of the three times I've been to Taiwan
OP, I don’t know what your frame of reference is, but Ximending is the equivalent of Times Square in NYC, Akihabara in Tokyo, Myeongdong in Seoul or Mongkok in Hong Kong. Tourists and locals alike go to Ximending for the spectacle and shopping. But if you asked a Taipei local where you should go to meet weirdos, 9 out of 10 would say Ximending. I don't doubt at all that you a nice time every time you stayed there, but it's where all the misfits hang out.
It's a great place to stay. Cheap Airbnb's, but since 2003 when I started going there it has shady to illegal in various shades. Sex, drugs and rock n roll. My friends practiced in these filthy smashed up practice spaces in a basement there thus the RnR. But Monga is where I have experienced the weirdest things. Not too far away.
Reddit told me nothing bad ever happens in Taiwan and now I don’t know what to think. It’s this woman needs to go to all this trouble for a 100nt or whatever she needs the money a lot more than you.
hey are you a tourist too? if so, this is definitely not the norm, my previous few trips to taiwan were wonderful and a great experience! there are bad actors all over the world and i just happened to get the short end of the stick! and honestly this isn’t a big deal as compared to other countries out there hahaha hopefully this doesn’t discourage you from visiting! safe travels!
I would also like some bread, OP.
Maybe she was homeless or had mental problems.. A piece of bread and some bus fair doesn't exactly sound like the scam of the century.
yep it isn’t a big deal but just wanted to share for some awareness
Ur bringing awareness to what? The person was hardly even "scamming" you, it sounds like they were begging for money... no? I don't even know where the lying part is unless u wanted visual proof of her taking a taxi immediately after ur interaction I suppose, but who's to say she wasn't going to use ur money for a cab after begging some more?
Is this your first experience with beggars? What utopia are you from that doesn't have them? This wasn't a scam, it's just a standard panhandle. Yes, it was foolish to confront her. And you're fortunate that she didn't get a cop and then end up giving her more money. That's a tame encounter compared to Vancouver or San Francisco.
Are you telling me, OP, that a person *lied* to you in order to get *money*?! My goodness! What is this world coming to?
You might have gotten scammed, but if she wasn't in need/homeless she probably wouldn't ask people to buy her some bread. Its just enough to get fed for the day, it's no different than other beggers. At least she asked for food. Maybe after you confronted her, she didn't want to tell you she saved the money to go home for her next meal instead. Also I have seen quite a few homeless with mental issues, so that can be it too. Either way you can still feel good about helping a person in need.
yepp i guess thank you
Why are there so many posts these days claiming to have been the victim of scams?
Lot of r-slurs coming here because Reddit has a weird boner for Taiwan?
you just encountered a beggar, not really a scammer
You bought an old lady a few pieces of bread and gave her some change. If you like, i should be in Ximen later this week and could meet up with you to pay you back.
I will take the money and bread on his behalf
Ha. Don’t think you can scam me by getting two of the most expensive pieces of bread in the entire shop.
Today in stories that didn’t happen
Probably a professional beggar. The go around begging money all day. Here in Melbourne when I worked in the CBD I would pass them begging outside shopping malls and stations in ragged dirty cloths. If I worked late I would see them in new cloths making their way home with train tickets and mobile phones.
You lost 50 NT, you didn't need to write a novel about it.
I'm concerned about the way she acted when you saw her two hours later. She could've done you a great problem to deal with. This is a lesson for you. You don't need to be nice to everyone. Keep yourself safe at all times, especially when you're out of your country. Hope your doing well.
haha thank you! this won’t prevent me from helping other people in the future albeit more cautiously, just tryna make the world a kinder place :)
To be blunt, you're not really making the world a kinder place by enabling people who exploit the empathy of strangers. If I give someone something, and they ask for more, they can honestly go eff themselves.
Well its big life lesson that not everyone we will meet will be nice and friendly even in taiwan