It’s not idiocy to do something you thought was good, that ends up being a scam.
Last time I felt so inclined to help someone it was a kid. I told him that I wasn’t going to give him money, but that if he were truly hungry I’d by him a meal at the nearby fast food store - BUT - he would have to admit to me what he was using. He denied, I started walking and he then said...yeah you’re right. he was on heroin and something else. I ordered him a meal (he switched the drink to a shake for a little extra money when i wasn’t paying attention, a fascinating thing to me, as i’d have bought it if he asked me).
I chatted with him for a few minutes. Completely hopeless, no way he’s ever going to get off of it, which is what I expected.
I believe my dialog with him was the only honest discussion he’d had that day.
My Husband and I stopped at a truck stop and there were 2 young men. I heard them talking to each other about how they only had 2 dollars left and they chose to buy a scratch off lottery ticket in the hopes that they could get more, LOL. They lost.
I told my husband about it in the car and he told me to go back and give them 20 bucks.