Originally Posted by uswest33
This brings to mind a funny story from a couple months ago.
My wife and I were staying at the ABQ Marriott which is right off the freeway. Some clown came walking up to us and started crying the blues about how he ran out of gas on the freeway and his wife and kids were stuck out there and asked me for some "money for gas."
Now, unbeknownst to him at the time, I am a LEO and have heard these scams before and am naturally skeptical after 13 years on the job. I decided to play into his story and with great concern I asked him if his wife and kids were okay. I then asked him if he had contacted the State Police for assistance. He fed me some line about how how he had already called the State Police but they advised him that they were "too busy" to respond. At this point I said to him, "well, I think they are closer than you may think" and showed him my credentials. At that point he grew frustrated and uttered, "why didn't you tell me that first so I didn't waste my time telling you that story?" After that he very swiftly began to walk away from the property from whatever hole he emerged from.
Something similar happened to me once at a gas station in Albuquerque. Some guy came up to me saying he was in town on business and didn't have enough $ for gas to get home to somewhere in southern NM (I think Roswell) and promised to mail me the $ back when he got home if I'd give him my address. I didn't want him to have my $ or my address so I started asking him what business he was in and why his company wasn't paying for the gas and he backed off. I don't think he was prepared for my overly curious mind.
As for the OP, I would guess the guy with the jackets either stole them or otherwise got them for free, or planned to just swipe your wallet when you took it out to give him "gas money."