Most of them are scammers. I used to work with a girl who had an uncle that did this for a living. He made $300 a day or more
They get more and more creative with the stories
I've even had people come to my DOOR to beg for money "for gas to get to the hospital in the next town because my mother is sick". One time there was one of these outside of McDonald's, had a sign "Hungry, Please Help". So, I went inside and bought an extra meal, which I then handed to him. He THREW IT on the ground and started cussing me out.
I donate to legit charities, never directly to these folks
It's sad that it's come to this.