Filipino streetkids know not to ask me for money as I know it will mostly be spent on solvents. Online beggars have even less chance.
I've had emails from African scammers originating from
poker forums (not this forum I hasten to add), the bottom line is, you simply don't know who you're dealing with. I accept online poker sites are generally secure but I'd be way too wary of the slightest piece of personal ID that could be given during any peer to peer transaction, it's just not worth the risk as far as complete strangers are concerned.
As for friends, a small $5-$10 loan is just pointless, they're not bankrolled for anything and they're basically telling me they have little to no experience of online poker. Much better they actually learn the hard way and start from the very bottom ie freerolls. In addition, there are actually sites online that offer free bankrolls so I'd probably point them to that direction anyway, if they lose that money then tough luck, I've already helped
