women lends homeless man her American Express platinum credit card to buy cigarettes

[Liberal_in_LA]

Homeless man returns credit card, gets job offer

A homeless man in New York City is being rewarded for his honesty after it was reported he returned a credit card to a woman who lent it to him to buy cigarettes.

Last week, Manhattan advertising executive Merrie Harris didn't have any cash when Jay Valentine approached her outside a restaurant and asked for money to buy a bottle of water and a pack of cigarettes. Not wanting to turn him away, she lent him her American Express Platinum credit card.

"Everybody said they thought that was the dumbest thing, that there's a fine line between charity and stupidity," Harris told the New York Post. Ten minutes later, Valentine returned with the credit card. "The guy just seemed totally trustworthy. He was very specific about what he wanted. I gave him a hug. I said, 'I knew you were coming back.'"

Days later a representative for Air Wisconsin, an airline operating out of La Guardia airport in New York, said Valentine should apply to be a flight attendant. An anonymous man from Texas offered him $5,000 and the paper reported they've received many emails offering rewards for the Valentine.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2010/08/14/15024921.html

A woman was standing with friends outside a restaurant when a homeless man approached her asked if she could spare some change. The woman, an advertising executive, said she didn't have any change, just her credit card. The homeless man, a Brooklyn native, asked if he could use her card. The woman said yes. To the surprise of the woman's companions and all who witnessed the exchange, the man returned a short time later along with her American Express Platinum credit card.

That's not exactly the kind of ending some New Yorkers would expect and Jay Valentine, now dubbed New York City's most honest homeless man, knows it.

http://www.examiner.com/headlines-in-new-york/spare-some-change-woman-gives-homeless-brooklyn-man-her-credit-card-3

[onethatcares]

1. for some strange reason I can't picture that happening.

not the loaning of the credit card, but the idea that a merchant would accept it for payment without a notarized affidavit stating that mr......... is entitleed to buy one 16 oz water and a 14.00 pack of 305s. I mean, have you ever loaned your kids your credit card? Have you ever loaned your credit card to a person with a different name and gender not matching the one that is on the card?

I think this story is bullshit. Probly a workup for an american distress card advertisement. I can see it now. "We are the only credit card issuing entitiy that allows someone other than you to use your card without an identity check".

Makes ya feel all warm and fuzzy don't it?

[CBR]

2. Someone stole my wallet and used my American Express card

to buy tons of crap. Luckily, they reimbursed it all. This person certainly did not have my name.

[etherealtruth]

4. I rarely have cash

I have loaned my credit card to a young co-worker (in a fairly bleak financial situation) many times. My children you my cards frequently .... noting I have a very anglo first and last name and my children have names common to the Indian sub-continent. So, yeah, I believe this could happen

[JoePhilly]

6. If you signed the back of the card, most places take it no questions asked.

However, if you write CHECK ID on the back, businesses are supposed to actually check.

I write CHECK ID on any card I have in case they get lost or stolen. Not a perfect system for sure. But it will limit the number of places where a stolen or found card can be used.

And from my experience, the credit card systems are pretty good at spotting stolen cards in use.

My wife had her wallet stolen in the grocery store and did not know. The person took it to a WALMART in the same shopping center, bought some stuff, and then went to a K-mart up the road bought some more stuff.

Before my wife reached the check out, the credit card company had called our home, I answered, and they asked me if she had her card with her. I called her on her cell from my cell, she was very surprised to find that her wallet was gone. I told the credit card person, and they blocked the card immediately. The thief got about $230 worth of junk, and it didn't cost us anything. The K-mart actually had video of the person buying stuff (the cops yawned).

Anyway, the thief's buying pattern didn't match my wife's normal use of the card.

As I think about this ... I suppose the woman might have determined that a homeless man would start buying things that she had no history of buying, at places she had no history of shopping. And so even if he took off, she'd have no problem knowing exactly when the card was "lost". I bet a platinum card has even beter theft protection that my wife's standard card had.

Wow ... that's a cynical view of the woman I guess ... :rofl:

Maybe its just a new urban legend ...

[Statistical]

18. On what planet do you live on?

Most merchants don't even look at the name on the card even fewer do for purchases under $10.00.

[Puregonzo1188]

33. My grandmother is in her 80s, and has very bad dementia/cancer

so she can't get out to the grocery store. Every week my mom buys her groceries for her. She always uses my grandmothers credit card. No one's ever asked her about it. Regardless, she is the same gender, but I wonder if it would make a difference.

[Liberal_in_LA]

35. merchants don't ask for identity for small purchases on credit cards

[fishwax]

37. most stores around here the clerk won't even see your card

You swipe it yourself, approve the total, maybe enter a PIN if it's a debit card.

[Brickbat]

3. I fail to see why this is news.

[blogslut]

5. It's a nice story

That is, until the bone-picking media ruminates on it a bit. Then we'll have stories about how the lady ad executive is actually a lowly secretary with unpaid parking tickets and a former career as a stripper. The homeless man will be revealed as having once been a much-despised Wall Street mover and shaker who was fined by the city for kicking his dog.

[Iggo]

9. It's a thing I've heard of before.

If I remember correctly, it's called something like this: Good News.

They used to have that on TV a long time ago. It got cancelled.

[Brickbat]

13. Is it news because a homeless man is expected to take the credit card and run?

Is it news that a lady who lunches let a homeless guy use her credit card?

I think the bar is pretty low if someone trusting someone else is news. Either that, or too many of us really DO buy the stereotypes we're sold.

[Curmudgeoness]

25. Yes.

It is news because no one thought the guy would return with the card. The bar is low.

[Bluebear]

7. Some cashiers are not looking at the names on the credit cards or matching sigs.

[Angry Dragon]

8. Most of the time in small quick stores

you swipe your own card and the person at checkout does not even touch it
and around here if it is below $25 you do not even sign

[Historic NY]

10. Ye of little faith...

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

[eShirl]

14. I could swear I've heard that before, somewhere, years ago...

(I do know the reference, just commenting on its surprising scarcity in our culture)

[steve2470]

11. This is a heart warming story

I hope a) she's not ripped off by anyone, now that her name and face have been publicized and b) that he gets a decent job soon.

[Taitertots]

12. This is only shocking to people who think the homeless are dirty gremlins

That there are people willing to help a homeless person is the more surprising part of this.

[uncle ray]

27. i wouldn't lend a card to ANYBODY, regardless of their housing situation.

a person's own family might rip them off. it is shocking that she would lend her card to ANY stranger, and it is shocking that any stranger would return it.

[Taitertots]

29. You are a stranger to me, would you steal from me if I tried to help you?

The only shocking part is that people are willing to help a homeless person.

Giving out your credit card probably isn't the best long term solution; but I don't find it shocking that someone would act in a humane and caring manner to someone who is helping them.

[pipi_k]

30. People act like shits to others all the time

even when someone is trying to "help" them.

Small claims courts are full of people suing someone who took advantage of their kindness. Even family members.

[Taitertots]

32. Knowing the evils of the world doesn't make me shocked when people don't treat each other like shit

[pipi_k]

15. Two things...

1. I don't care if the guy was wearing a $3,000 suit. I wouldn't lend him my credit card.

2. Everyone is so warm and fuzzy over this woman "helping" a guy kill himself with cigarettes. Now, if he needed money to buy new shoes or something, OK. Or food. Or medicine. Or even a book. yeah...that's helping. Even the water was reasonable. But cigarettes? Yeah, sure...I'll help you buy something that will make you stink and maybe even be the one pack over the line that caused emphysema or lung cancer.


I dunno...maybe I'm the one who just doesn't understand what "help" is...

:shrug:

[david13]

16. There you go. I agree. What she has done is support the tobacco

companies. At the health expense of this poor smuck on the street.
Maybe she should have bought him some booze and drugs, also, then we could all really feel good about it.
dc

[Liberal_in_LA]

36. He also bought water, deodorant, soap, and body wash

[The Straight Story]

17. Holy crap - he bought smokes? Good thing he is not a poster here

He would be shown the error of his ways and why it would be best if others could limit his choices.

You smoke, eat fast food, go to wal mart, etc and so on you are - well, evil. Others are pure and will preach to you how to save your soul...errr money (cause if you drink, smoke, eat foods we don't approve of - well you need yourself a savin!)

Example A:

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/6518818-mcdonalds-happy-meal-might-get-banned?r=1

[pipi_k]

19. Bah!

I don't personally care what other people do, except if it involves stinking up my area or compromising my health.

Oh, or if it involves a close family member killing himself with booze, but even then there's absolutely nothing I can do about his choices.


But there's a big difference between that and actually enabling someone to kill him/herself or make him/herself sick.

Someone wants a decent meal? Fine. I'll buy him one.

Someone wants booze or cigarettes? Go get someone else to feed his addiction. I'm not going to do it.

[The Straight Story]

20. Just don't drive your car down the street - and spew your fumes on them

Or use your electricity if it is coal based, etc and so on.

[pipi_k]

26. Yeah, OK...it's only fair, after all...

I drive a car and use electricity, which means I'm then obliged to let some fool stand three feet away from me and blow smoke in my face, making me feel like puking.

:eyes:


Taking a detour into the world of the absurd still isn't going to make it moral to feed someone's addiction by giving that person money (or credit card) so he can buy whatever he's addicted to.

[The Straight Story]

31. Nice going there

You just said that the pollution you cause and that affects others means nothing because you are not three feet away.

Get back with me on global warming, slave wages in third world nations, etc that folks here cause.

Those folks on high horses? Well - there are other folks on even higher horses looking down on you.

You go ahead and justify your actions, just don't sit around condemning others on theirs.

[Warren DeMontague]

34. You can't run a car engine inside a bar or restaurant, either.

As long as your product is legal and available at most 7-11s in the country, and you can step outside in most cities and smoke it on the sidewalk, please, spare me the hysterics about 'help, help, I'm being oppressed!'

[Warren DeMontague]

22. Oh, For Fuck's Sake.

[Hannah Bell]

28. he not only bought smokes, he bought designer smokes. and vitamin water.

the guy was not the stereotypical "homeless" person.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8943032

in fact, my guess is there's more to this story.

[cynatnite]

21. He got a few minutes of being treated as a trusted human...

There are other things that this homeless man could have used far more than what he got. As I see it, he got far more from this one person than what 99% of society would have given him.

He was treated as a human being and he was trusted. That matters.

[david13]

23. Whoa, we may have violated someone's rule here. We are supposed

to like air pollution and cigarette smoke. After all that is the litany, right? Air pollution is good for you, as is cigarette smoke, and global warming doesn't exist.
That's the kind of rule that should be stuck somewhere where the sun don't shine.
dc

[Curmudgeoness]

24. Actually, I heard this woman interviewed, and this man asked for

money for water. He did not ask for cigarettes. When she gave him her card, she told him to get himself some water and some cigarettes too. And that is just what he did.

[asdjrocky]

38. Things like this are happening all over.

I should know.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8949586

It's a tiny revolution, but I have no doubt, that real change is beginning now in America.