The scammers are very direct and waste no time launching into the tale of woe du jour. Heavy eye contact, too. A “newbie” genuinely down on his luck is embarrassed and lacks such aggressive confidence. They’re grateful for an offer of a hot meal, whereas the scammer will stalk off or even curse you. That’s what I noticed in over a decade of encountering them on a daily basis.
I listened to his speil, paused for a moment, looked perplexed, and said, "I'm really sorry, but I didn't understand a f***ing word that you just said".
He left in a fury.