Homeless Family (Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro: rental, daycare, transfer)

[deegers]

Originally Posted by Minervah

If this post is legit, it really brings home the point that no one should move to a new city without finances to fall back on if things don't work out. The same thing happened to a young couple I know of from Chicago to Portland. They had a job promised to both of them from the same employer but when they got here they found the jobs had been given to other people.
They were smart enough to make certain they didn't leave home without enough money to return in case they had to. After looking for new jobs they decided to go back to Chicago. I would think anyone with the responsibility of so many kids depending upon them would have at least this much saavy.
I hope you are able to return to Florida soon. Whether or not your story is legit, Portland doesn't need any more mouths that aren't able to feed themselves. Speaking as one who was nearly homeless a few years ago due to illness and job loss, I can tell you resources here are pretty slim.

Point taken, scam or not. Things do happen like this and I feel for those who get sucked into crappy situations that make things hopeless. I did my share whether it's legit or not. If it is a scam then I only gain knowledge and some new insight!

[HDL]

Now that I see that the OP is no longer a member . Anyways, I still see value in this thread for several reasons:

First off, we are in very difficult economic times right now and someone who truly needs assistance may find several of the replies noting resources to be of help to their particular situation .

Secondly, I had someone close to me scammed out of quite a bit of money recently and I don't see this (scammers and con artists) going away any time soon . In fact, I expect a lot more "Cyber Begging" and other creative methods of gaining cash and sympathy to start increasing all the more. I've recently seen it through a family that lived WAY beyond their means and instead of living within their means, is now trying to use their 'ill' child to get money from family, friends and strangers ! (I can't say any more due to privacy issues, but this was NOT the case of a family's finances devastated by medical bills) "Desperate times call for desperate measures" is becoming a mantra for a lot of folks .

And I'm sure that there are many of us who could tell a tale of woe right now and that could use financial assistance, as well as people with BIG HEARTS that want to help out. This is where we need to decide whether we are 'teaching someone to fish or just giving them a fish' . It is good to give a hand UP, but seldom helpful in the long run to give a hand OUT (jmho) . As someone who gives, it can be depressing to see a hand continually extended year after year . Just my thoughts !!!

Blessings to you ALL and Happy 4th of July early !!!

[norcalmom101]

You know, many people have laptops with wireless capabilities and can access other peoples open networks. I sure wouldn't want 6 kids, but if I had 6 kids and was homeschooling them well then how would I be in a position to work outside the home? Sounds like it would be more costly for this family to have both parents working.

Many people live hand to mouth and are just one step from losing what little they have. Yes people scam, and yes people get scammed, but I think the judgemental attitude in this thread is very disheartening. Sure, warn others of the posibility, but there was no establishment of fact in that regard, and the kind moral support originally offered here seems undone by the ensuing OP bashing.

She says they wanted to go back. Did she ask for money? I didn't see that she did. What if this person isn't scamming? Does it help her kids to come on here after encouraging words and see all this negativity? No wonder she is no longer a member!

Having been in similar circumstances myself, for reasons well beyond my control, I think the OP shows a great deal of character in her posts here.

[nanannie]

When it says no longer a member, it usually means they were 'banned'.

[karlsch]

The OP was a troll, not a scammer. Trolls post outrageous, contentious or controversial things to rile up the troops. As you can see, they often succeed.

[GB1]

Originally Posted by norcalmom101

You know, many people have laptops with wireless capabilities and can access other peoples open networks. I sure wouldn't want 6 kids, but if I had 6 kids and was homeschooling them well then how would I be in a position to work outside the home? Sounds like it would be more costly for this family to have both parents working.

Many people live hand to mouth and are just one step from losing what little they have. Yes people scam, and yes people get scammed, but I think the judgemental attitude in this thread is very disheartening. Sure, warn others of the posibility, but there was no establishment of fact in that regard, and the kind moral support originally offered here seems undone by the ensuing OP bashing.

I suppose it's possible that a pregnant mom with 5 kids and a dog who had been unable to obtain housing or help for 3 months managed to find a place to live within 24 hours of posting to a messageboard where she'd never been before...and that she was so grateful for the help that she decided to give away the RV. But I don't think it's likely.

If it is true, she was unfortunate enough to have her life fit a classic Traveler scam, down to the time of year, the point of origin, and the mode of travel used by these people.

Originally Posted by norcalmom101

She says they wanted to go back. Did she ask for money? I didn't see that she did. What if this person isn't scamming? Does it help her kids to come on here after encouraging words and see all this negativity? No wonder she is no longer a member!

I've been interested in scams for a long time, and I can tell you that the most effective ones don't start with the scammer saying "Help me," but rather the scammee saying "Let me help you." There's a reason it's called a confidence game: it depends on obtaining a stranger's confidence, and if a con artist can find someone willing to hand over the confidence before the "help" begins, all the better. (The level of extraordinary detail in the original post set off my b.s. meter: why are you telling me all this on a forum dedicated to discussing a city?)

Originally Posted by norcalmom101

Having been in similar circumstances myself, for reasons well beyond my control, I think the OP shows a great deal of character in her posts here.

I'm sorry about your past situation, and I'm glad you're doing better. But when you needed help, would it have occurred to you to go on an Internet messageboard where you'd never been before to get help?

A healthy dose of skepticism isn't a bad thing, and it's not necessarily negative, whether it's been applied to a stranger with an outlandish story, a president who wants your vote, or that skanky guy who wants to date your daughter. In my experience, whenever someone tells you that things aren't what they seem, that should be a blinking red light. (And that goes double for both presidents and skanky would-be daughter-daters.)

[norcalmom101]

"I'm sorry about your past situation, and I'm glad you're doing better. But when you needed help, would it have occurred to you to go on an Internet messageboard where you'd never been before to get help?"

Sure did.

Have you ever tried to sell a non running rv while dealing with pregnancy and kids and having nowhere to legally park it and possibly no phone? And yes, if I was desperate enough to be reaching out and posting on this board about my situation I would probably be making enough contacts that it would be feasible to have gotten help, something that happens when you are asking for it!

I'm not taking sides on the scamming issue, just saying tone it down, innocent until proven guilty. You can't take a possibility about a scam and turn it into a fact. That is just crappy.

I've met persons on here who seem too good to be true. One who approached from an angle that could fit your "scammer" theory, to help me. My out of state yard is being worked on this very moment by people who were paid money I personally sent to that someone. Did I take a risk? Yes. Did I get scammed? No. I made a friend.

My experience on this site has been nothing but positive, and while I am certainly aware of scams, I think there is a big difference between falling prey to them and bashing the OP in this thread as a scammer, or a troll, or anything else as yet totally unsubstantiated.

[norcalmom101]

GB1, if you are interested in scams you should definitely check out 419eater dot com. Hilarious! Also thescambaiter dot com, fighting scammers worldwide for fun and justice!

[bobmulk]

I'm trying to figure out how people who've been breeding like rabbits and living in a piece of crap RV that just happened to go 3000 miles across the country have INTERNET ACCESS??

Yeah, you can go to the library or some internet cafe, but does anyone believe they have the time??? Where are they parking their redneck RV? I'm sorry, I just don't believe that someone who is willing to put their family with five children (with another on the way) at risk because of a DOG is really on the up and up. Like a previous poster said, this is a sham.

[norcalmom101]

ever heard of a laptop? how about a broadband card? Mine's working just fine!