I Got Duped!

Dictionary.com best describes duped: –verb (used with object) 3. to make a dupe of; deceive; delude; trick. That's exactly what happened to me. A month ago a lady came by the Church and asked for 20 dollars to fill up her gas tank. Her mom broke down on the NC and TN border and she needed to go pick her up. The problem: she's on disability and wasn't receiving any money until Monday and didn't have enough gas to get to NC and back. It was a Sunday, I had a few extra minutes, she showed me her scar, and so I decided to take her down to the local Pilot and fill up her tank. WELL, guess who showed up today at Church? So, I walked out of my office to meet her, I recognized her, and expected some kind of testimony or update on her mother's situation. Nope, she had a new story about a trip to Corbin to help out her daughter. She once again wasn't getting paid because of disability, needed money for gas, and showed me her scar. WOW! Con-artists really should keep track of who they've conned. At least she changed her story.

Almost daily, I receive phone calls for assistance here at the Church. What I have come to find out is that the majority of these individuals have abused community and non-profit resources and now have no other option except to open the phone book and call the churches. I'm not writing this to downplay the very sad reality of poverty, homelessness, and hunger, but to show the very sad reality of folks who abuse the system making it difficult for those with real needs to obtain help. Luckily, we are connected with a very good source that I can direct callers to and that I don't have to determine who's a fake who has a real need. Obviously, I can't tell the difference.