Worried I bore false witness

[SamanthaAnastasia]

okay,
So my husband and I went to Paris for the last three days.
It was wonderful but that’s not the issue.
On the second day we were approached by a group of women asking for us to sign a petition. As I was, they began asking for money. I gave them 20 cents. As I was doing this a man came up yelling that they were pickpockets and tearing up there “petition” sheets.
Nothing was taken (as I was carrying everything in a pickpocket prevention messenger bag that has several zippers and hidden pockets)
However, we were approached again later that day. I said no but she kept coming so I yelled no.
I then looked up online later that night and found that this is a common pickpocket and/or fake charity scam.
Now, yesterday as we were leaving we were approached again two other times when leaving.
I said loudly (but not hateful or angrily) that both were pickpockets (as to warn others around me) while pointing at them. They both scurried off quickly.
I was not angry with them and forgave them immediately and prayed for them.
But now I’m worrying that they were not pickpockets but only running a false charity scam and that I bore false witness.
Any advice would be appreciated

 

[Tolworth John]

What did you lie about to them?

Yes you were not very gracious to them, but they were trying to scam you or rob you.
I have no doubt they would willingly stand and talk about anything so long as it enabled them to steal your money.

Continue to pray for them, that they cannot scam or steal from tourests, that they will turn from a life of crime and seek Jesus.
Pray also for the man who stopped you being scammed, thank God for him and pray for his blessing and protection.

 

[St_Worm2]

I’m worrying that they were not pickpockets but only running a false charity scam

Hi Bipolargirl, it seems to me that a "false charity scam" is nothing more than another name for an organized group of "pickpockets" You didn't bear false witness against them, you stopped them, a group of criminals, from stealing other people's money
So no worries sister, you did good

God bless you! (Numbers 6:24-26)

--David
p.s. - the very same thing happened to my wife and me when we were in Rome. Fortunately we had joined a guided tour of Rome and the Vatican, and our tour guide did the very same thing for all of us that you just did for the people who were near you in Paris (she walked right up to them, pointed her finger at them, and warned us, loudly, that they were pickpockets). They all scattered and ran into the crowds of bystanders, and all of us (including a large number of tourists who were not part of our group) were very thankful and happy that she did what she did for us

 

[Redwingfan9]

I don't think you're under any obligation to be gracious to people who are trying to either rob you via pickpocketing or rob you via a fake charity scam. As for calling these people pickpockets when they may have been a fake charity, I'm not sure you're truly bearing false witness because the entire point of your words was to imply they were criminals. The fact that they ran off very quickly suggests they know that they're criminals and didn't want others to know. What sort of criminal they are really isn't important.

 

[com7fy8]

I think it can be good not to assume people on the Net are telling you the truth. So, it could be wise not to just yell about people you don't know.

Even so . . . if they had been legitimate, they could have stayed and stood up for themselves and made it obvious they were not trying to get close enough to pick your pockets while getting you to sign their petition.

And I think of this > if they got you to give them even twenty cents, now they could know where you were keeping your money so they could then try to pick it.

So, when I was in Italy, if I remember correctly, I kept a minor amount of spending money in a pocket, but my main cash hung around my neck or something like that, maybe inside my clothes, in any case.

But I would have fun with the beggars at the train station. I needed change for things; so I would trade a bill for half its value in change, from a beggar. This way, I always had exact change for rides and food, plus I helped a beggar. And I would talk with them in Italian so I got practice.

The beggars were women, possibly Gypsies. We would see each other, each Saturday. And I would do our trading But one time one of them came up behind me, but I saw her in my peripheral vision; so I told one in front of me that she did not need to pick my pocket because I was already being very generous to give them twice what they gave me. And one in front said something to her, and she backed off. So I got confirmation that they understood my Italian

It is also said that ones use their cute little children to get near to you, possibly pretending they are close to you for a photograph. And I think I was told that those little cuties know how to pick.

But they need food, I consider; so I might leave some change to pick or just give it to them, but hang my ID and passport and main money supply around my neck, inside my clothing.

I would say a trick can be to keep a little change in one place on your person, away from where your real supply of money is . . . let the little bit of change be a decoy in case there is someone more sneaky who you don't see, who is watching where you take money from. And any time we go to our real source, do this where no one can see us, or with other fellow travelers blocking anyone's view of us while we take out our money.