It's hard to know. I have given money to such people and told them I hoped they were being honest with me! I felt led to give one "Bag guy" (without his asking) some money and told him NOT to spend it on booze. Of course, they might have not listened to me.....

I know in Atlanta I saw a sign about not giving money to beggars. People get taken a lot by folks, but I agree that you did the right thing by giving her the benefit of the doubt. They might snicker at our gullibility, but in my book, they WILL have to answer at some point to a "higher power" if they are cheating people.

That said, I do rarely hand out money--and I never even order anything over the phone or take such telemarketers up on their "free" offers.