An Act of Kindness or a Publicity Stunt?

A Manhattan woman is being praised for giving her platinum Amex credit card to a homeless man so he could buy vitamin water and a pack of cigarettes. According to 45 year old Merrie Harris, a global-business director for the JWT ad agency stated that she didn’t have any cash on hand and only possessed a credit card when she was approached by a panhandler in the SoHo section of New York City.

“He said, ‘Would it be OK if I borrow it?’ “I said, ‘Sure.’

“He said, ‘Is it OK if I get a pack of cigarettes, too?’ “I said, ‘Sure.’ “

Harris, who volunteers with the Coalition for the Homeless, admitted she’d had a margarita at the party, but insisted, “I don’t think that was it. I’m eternally optimistic.” She explains, I felt a little nervous that he might not return with my card but luckily within 10 minutes he did in fact return with it.

How can someone, a homeless person walk into a New York City store with a platinum Amex card without showing identification and make a purchase? Did this woman just try to dub the public with her perceived act of kindness? Call me a skeptic but I lived in New York City most my life and I doubt any New Yorker would be that naïve to hand over their credit card to a complete stranger. This story is as fishy as the South Street Seaport. Or in the famous words of Ed Lover…C’mon Son”

Would you hand your credit card over to a complete stranger and tell them to go shopping?

Source: NY Post