I have been lucky. I have picked up a bunch of people and never got a bad one. Some were interesting, some were sad, but all of ‘em were decent.
Worst one was when I picked up two girls at twilight. they had no business walking on the side of the road at that time. Got them back to the family, but everybody was telling me all the problems I could have let myself in for.
I am married now, so my tolerance for risk has dropped dramatically, but the last time I picked up someone, he was limping along the road trying to get home - he tried to flag someone down and had his foot run over; he’d be walking all night. I had made a wrong turn and gone a ways when I saw him - it was like someone wanted me to pick him up.
Yes, I used to pick up people too. One time three teen girls asked me for a ride home after a music festival. Nothing happened, but if they had wanted to accuse me of sexual advances to get money, how do you disprove it? Not worth the risk.