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It can sometimes be difficult to know how to deal with requests for money or help from strangers.

On one hand, they may genuinely be in need. But it can be difficult to verify their story.

A woman in Singapore, faced with that exact situation, showed how one could act in such a situation and won praise for how she responded.

Stranger asked for S$10 to go to Ang Mo Kio

In a TikTok video posted on Sep. 27, user @tiktokjace shared footage of an encounter with a stranger in the Lavender area.

The stranger had apparently asked for S$10, saying he needed it to get to Ang Mo Kio.

Instead of obliging his request for cash, the woman offered to give him a ride to his intended destination, but the man repeatedly declined her offer.

At one point, he claimed to have asthma, though it's not clear why this was brought up.

Over the course of the 36-second video, the woman's tone gets increasingly firm as she realised that he was likely not sincere about needing to get to Ang Mo Kio.

The man eventually ended the conversation and walked away.

Saying that such incidents are "frequent encounters" for her, the stance she adopts is: "either we eat or travel together. No money to offer!"

Transcript

Here's a translated transcript of their conversation in English and Mandarin, as recorded by the woman in her video.

Man: (indistinct) ... nevermind lah, thanks.

Woman: I'll give you a ride there, after all you are going to Ang Mo Kio right?

Man: I haven't packed my things.

Woman: What things? The situation is urgent, and you still need to pack? Asthma leh.

Man: No, I don't stay here!

Woman: I know, that's why I'm offering to give you a ride.

Man: Ok lah, ok lah. Thanks ah, thanks ah.

Woman: Over here, don't do such things. I offered to give you a ride, and you didn't want it. Asthma. What are you saying to me now? Do you want to go or not?

Man: Ok ah, sorry, sorry, sorry.

Woman: Don't need be sorry. Don't come here to cheat others' money. Limpeh stays here.

The woman asked viewers to avoid judging her "chor lor-ness" a Hokkien term for "rough", and commonly used to describe a person's unrefined mannerism.

"I’m still kind hearted one hor… 🥺" she wrote.

Commenters praise her approach

The woman won praise for how she handled the situation, with many noting her courage, and her firm tone.

Others commended her for calling out a potential scammer.

There were also commenters who recalled their own experiences dealing with strangers asking for cash to buy a meal, and eventually declining when offered food.

Top image via @tiktokjace on TikTok