Holiday Reminder - It's not always what it seems!

[jandel]

Be on the lookout for posts that request help acquiring specific things...

...a retired collectible doll
...a hard to find figurine or Lego set
...an item that can only be purchased in Disney
...a piece of sports memorabilia that cannot be bought in the OP's locale​

In many cases the OP of those posts has a hard luck story. Job loss. Illnesses. Lots of bills. Great kid. Rough year. Deserves a good Christmas. Don't know what I'm going to do.

Well now I'm paranoid. I was going to ask if anyone knew where I might get a good deal on a Titanic Rose doll for my daughter? Back in March her dog ate it out of the Lego bucket with the San Diego Chargers bumper sticker on it - and oh , yeah, We got this in DTD so is anyone going soon? I only ask because my daughter has had mono all summer and has been really struggling with her summer school homework due to the fact that our house floated away in a flood last spring and were were homeless the whole month of April causing her to have to repeat her senior year of high school. And her dog died in the flood.

But now I won't ask because people will think I'm a scammer.

JUST KIDDING Seriously - I must be the most naive person here - I wouldn't have sent anything to these folks but I wouldn't have assumed they were scamming either!

 

[DrPierreMcDuck]

I'm not against helping someone out that I've only talked to via the Internet, but the same rules that apply in person should apply on the web. How well I know the person, trustworthiness, the specifics of the situation (sending money to someone's doctor is one thing; giving them money to spend on games is another), etc. are all things that factor into the decision. I don't think I would ever give a complete stranger a toy or collectible unless it was through an organization.

 

[Alesia]

Does this seriously happen on these boards?? People coming here to try to get something?? If so, I need stories!

Also, I don't get why you would send something to someone anyways. You have to pay for the postage after all.

Well, most people just send money through paypal. They do it because they're kind-hearted and naive.

 

[AlwaysMoving]

Well now I'm paranoid. I was going to ask if anyone knew where I might get a good deal on a Titanic Rose doll for my daughter? Back in March her dog ate it out of the Lego bucket with the San Diego Chargers bumper sticker on it - and oh , yeah, We got this in DTD so is anyone going soon? I only ask because my daughter has had mono all summer and has been really struggling with her summer school homework due to the fact that our house floated away in a flood last spring and were were homeless the whole month of April causing her to have to repeat her senior year of high school. And her dog died in the flood.

But now I won't ask because people will think I'm a scammer.

JUST KIDDING

Ok, you almost had me, but then there were important things missing in the story that caused the tearful violin to fade. Here are some suggestions to add to your story for next year when you post it. Make the child younger and give her a medical condition that is not self inflicted. Show how you have made an effort with the limited funds you have.

Your daughter is 8 years old and had been saving money since she was 3 years old to purchase it on the only vacation your family has been able to afford. Since she has had repeated ear infections, causing her to miss a lot of school, the doll has been her best friend. The loss of the home was a year ago, but money is still extremely tight as you struggle with your own medical problems. You have sat in the middle of the livingroom floor all afternoon trying to repair the damages to the doll with super glue and scotch tape, and you used a macaroni and cheese box and hand decorated paper grocery bag to wrap it so that she would have something Christmas morning. She is such a good girl and deserves to have so much more than this reminder of such a horrific moment in her life. You could also add how if someone can't find that doll, she has picked out another one. Perhaps looking into the eyes of a different doll will help to heal the emotional scars.

Wow, once you get the creative juices flowing, it is amazing how easy this scamming is.

 

[jandel]

You could also add how if someone can't find that doll, she has picked out another one. Perhaps looking into the eyes of a different doll will help to heal the emotional scars.

Well now you owe me a monitor cleaning as there is sweet tea all over mine

Honestly this isn't funny at all - rather pathetic that people will stoop that low. But I can sort of relate because I have an aunt who is the family sob/con artist and she's always trying to get sympathy money

 

[marthachick]

Well now I'm paranoid. I was going to ask if anyone knew where I might get a good deal on a Titanic Rose doll for my daughter? Back in March her dog ate it out of the Lego bucket with the San Diego Chargers bumper sticker on it - and oh , yeah, We got this in DTD so is anyone going soon? I only ask because my daughter has had mono all summer and has been really struggling with her summer school homework due to the fact that our house floated away in a flood last spring and were were homeless the whole month of April causing her to have to repeat her senior year of high school. And her dog died in the flood.

Don't forget you have laundry to do!!!

 

[Swan4Me]

Speaking of the uproaching laundry crisis (I'm betting they both break and all the XMass $$ will have to be used for new ones, BTW)


I searched that poster and its amazing that every single Nov/Dec since 2008 there has been financial emergencies that the family cant cope with-with additional posts on how to load $$ on her paypal. Amazing

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Speaking of the uproaching laundry crisis (I'm betting they both break and all the XMass $$ will have to be used for new ones, BTW)


I searched that poster and its amazing that every single Nov/Dec since 2008 there has been financial emergencies that the family cant cope with-with additional posts on how to load $$ on her paypal. Amazing

It must be working for her.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Speaking of the uproaching laundry crisis (I'm betting they both break and all the XMass $$ will have to be used for new ones, BTW)


I searched that poster and its amazing that every single Nov/Dec since 2008 there has been financial emergencies that the family cant cope with-with additional posts on how to load $$ on her paypal. Amazing

It must be working for her.

Exactly! She wouldn't keep coming back with these ridiculous stories if she wasn't getting something out of them. I seriously wonder why the Mods let her begging threads keep going, but they do.

 

[undertheradar]

A word of caution, I received points for "outing" that poster this past Easter. That was during the broken oven, used parts, trip, no propane, etc., timeline.
Just be cautious about what you post. I tied multiple posts by this poster together as a warning to others and my reward was points.

 

[kathyoffl]

As a newbie here I cannot believe that people would be so forward to ask for things???

Plus someone who can look up posts since 2008 appears to have lots of time on their hands.

I don't even know how to look up posts......can you tell me how?

 

[Gr8t Fan]

As a newbie here I cannot believe that people would be so forward to ask for things???

Plus someone who can look up posts since 2008 appears to have lots of time on their hands.

I don't even know how to look up posts......can you tell me how?

I don't look up the posts but I do remember the poster from years past. Around the holidays things seem to go wrong at an extraordinary rate and the hinting about how others can help begins. I would never consider sending anything to an internet stranger, this one or another, but it appears that others have, and have been burned in the process.

 

[Marionnette]

As a newbie here I cannot believe that people would be so forward to ask for things???

Plus someone who can look up posts since 2008 appears to have lots of time on their hands.

I don't even know how to look up posts......can you tell me how?

Welcome the the disboards and congratulations on your first post.

It doesn't take much time at all to look up someone's past posts. Just left click on their name in any of their posts and then choose "find more posts by". You can see anything that the member has posted in the past as long as it has not been archived.

And, no, it's not "goofy" to wear matching tees at disney if that's what everyone wants to do.

 

[Swan4Me]

As a newbie here I cannot believe that people would be so forward to ask for things???

Plus someone who can look up posts since 2008 appears to have lots of time on their hands.

I don't even know how to look up posts......can you tell me how?

Click on their user name
click on "View public profile"
Click on "find all threads started by user"
Go back to page 5-6
look at Nov & Dec threads of each year
It takes only a few minutes

 

[AlwaysMoving]

As a newbie here I cannot believe that people would be so forward to ask for things???

Plus someone who can look up posts since 2008 appears to have lots of time on their hands.

To answer your first question, they are not really coming out and asking for things. That would be against the rules. They have to be creative, by asking how THEY can go about getting a discount of some kind to obtain the item on their own. It is part of the setting, which is why they add the sad details. They are waiting for someone in their target audience to say "Wow, a large struggling family whom I know probably couldn't afford that item even with a discount, so let me help these children have something under the tree this Christmas. I will PM them to obtain their address so I can either mail them money toward the item, or I will be the true angel by mailing them the item." Bingo. That is the goal of the sob story. They indirectly asked.

As far as someone having time to look up posts having a lot of time on their hands, I call that being smart. Anyone who hands over their hard earned money should do the background check, be it a national organization or an anonymous person on the internet. If the history of the anonymous internet poster screams scammer, then shame on the internet poster, no the one checking the ligitimacy of their story.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Be on the lookout for posts that request help acquiring specific things...

...a retired collectible doll
...a hard to find figurine or Lego set
...an item that can only be purchased in Disney
...a piece of sports memorabilia that cannot be bought in the OP's locale​

In many cases the OP of those posts has a hard luck story. Job loss. Illnesses. Lots of bills. Great kid. Rough year. Deserves a good Christmas. Don't know what I'm going to do.

If you happen to read any posts like that, remember that there are people in your own neighborhood who are going thru rough times, have great kids, and deserve a break. Get in touch with your schools' PTA or Home & School Assoc. to offer assistance. They can identify the really needy families that are scraping by right under your nose. Neighbors who are too proud to show their needs. Too proud to ask for assistance. Help them instead of an internet stranger who may just turn around and sell your generous donation on ebay.

Great Post!!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Okay, all the posts since I have been on are great. Thanks everyone for keeping this thread going..

Now off to fix the stove, dryer, and the portable phone. Don't feel bad though, we budgeted for it, and well it's hard to scam when you will be at Disney on Christmas. BUT, if you all want to help....

Hope everyone is having a great day. Don't forget to post any great deals you find or guide a poster to an organization in your area if you are local. Good deeds go a long way! This year is going to be a tough one for a lot of people.

Last, I know it's off topic a bit, but there is no shame in cutting down the amount of gifts or cutting out your 90 year old Uncle Bob if money is tight. We ALL understand. (Okay that's not true on the DIS) but you get the idea!

 

[fortwildernessishome]

There was the one about getting a Wii for a family that couldn't afford food or electricity.

Oh, I remember that one!

 

[Swan4Me]

Be on the lookout for posts that request help acquiring specific things...

...a retired collectible doll
...a hard to find figurine or Lego set
...an item that can only be purchased in Disney
...a piece of sports memorabilia that cannot be bought in the OP's locale​

Help them instead of an internet stranger who may just turn around and sell your generous donation on ebay.

I remember someone doing this with donated baby clothes one time

 

[undertheradar]

There is a new post from one of the classic posters. Appears to love Craigslist this season .