Did you make eye contact?
Fleetingly. His approach and the way he sat facing me diagonally tinkled my alarm bells.
How common is targeted begging?
Over the decades I've seen a fair variety of low level crime in London but yesterday was the first time I was picked out on a train and asked for money when no one else was.
When I declined he didn't ask anyone else but moved to the next carriage.
School boy error of the beggar in assuming that you might ever find me on a trainHe probably made brief eye contact with everyone but quickly perceived that the wealth-laden soft southerner who we know and love as @Markymark wasn't available to tap up. Ergo, I'm afraid, you were merely second best...
How common is targeted begging?
Over the decades I've seen a fair variety of low level crime in London but yesterday was the first time I was picked out on a train and asked for money when no one else was.
When I declined he didn't ask anyone else but moved to the next carriage.
This needs a photo to evaluate why you may have been selected
You're spiel on how thieving was your only alternative doesn't win hearts and minds.Sorry about that - I just though you had a kind face.