Regrets upon assuming lies vs. truth?

[cdnmatt]

Have there ever been times where you were thought you were being lied to in order to have money extorted out of you, only to find out later they were actually telling the truth, and feel bad about it afterwards? Maybe someone's family member was actually sick, and that 20,000 could have saved their lives, or maybe that gambling debt owed was for real, and that 20,000 baht could have saved the guy's mom from being beaten into oblivion, or?....

Anything like that ever happen to you?

[Manforallseasons]

No, only because when working your way through the quogmire of lies it becomes nearly impossible to tell the difference between the truth and the lies.

[francois]

Yes, I was asked for money to help someone I knew but was suspicious of his motives. Turns out he really was sick and was looking for money to travel back home to his mama. I didn't know that he was terminally ill and thought he was just playing me for money. He died. :(

[egel]

Question is what proportion are lies? Probably most.....

[christianpfc]

We have to distinguish:
It sounds like a lie, and probably is, but I have no proof: many cases.
It sounds like a lie, and it was (because I discovered the truth): several cases.
It sounds like a lie, but turned out to be the truth: I don't remember any case.

Anyway: even if it's true, why should I pay for their gambling dept? No way!
I might pay for medical treatment, but only for someone I have known for long time, and only if I go with them to the hospital.

A few months ago a boy approached me because his mocy was confiscated by police and he needed 10 kTHB to get it back and wanted to borrow (I would say nobody borrows money in Thailand, they take it without means and intention to pay it back) the money from me. So far so good, what was new that he brought a brand new phone as a pawn! Now I don't understand anything about phones, I couldn't tell the difference between a 20 kTHB phone and a 2 kTHB phone! That hasn't happened to me before, that someone tried to fob off a 2 kTHB phone as collateral for a 10 kTHB loan. (All assumptions, I don't know the truth.)