Resident refuses to give up her parking spot to neighbor after he lied about needing it for his wheelchair-bound mother: ‘There isn't any sign of his mother'

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jul 22, 2026 7:15 AM EDT

Have you ever fallen for the trap of someone else's fake sob story?

With the help of social media, these days people can share their sob stories for millions of people to see and get a lot from it. Every day, you can scroll through Instagram or TikTok and find people with massive debts, upcoming surgeries, and sick relatives who just need you to like and share their videos so they can afford whatever it is they need.

Now, we're not saying these people are faking their need for help; we have seen some wonderful stories of people's lives changing thanks to a GoFundMe and the support of strangers on the internet. But realistically speaking, not every story you hear online is true, and there are plenty of people who feel comfortable taking advantage of others' empathy for their personal gain. Knowing how to tell a real story from a fake one is the real challenge.

The neighbor whose story this is about didn't need the help of thousands of people on the internet to get what he wanted; all he needed was to get one person to buy his lies.

He wanted to get the parking space closest to the building's entrance, so he told the owner of the spot that he had a wheelchair-bound mother who would benefit a lot from a spot so close to the entrance. The resident who owned the spot believed the sob story, and even though she had a knee problem of her own that required the parking space, she agreed to give it up for the sake of the mother.

Except, after the parking spot was transferred, the resident noticed that she didn't see any wheelchair-bound mother in sight. The only person she saw using the spot was the neighbor's girlfriend, who seemed pretty happy about this new arrangement. 

It didn't take long for the resident to confront the neighbor about his lies, and it took even less time to turn to the building's management and get the parking spot back….

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  • Elderly woman sitting in a wheelchair.
    via Steven HWG

    Elderly woman sitting in a wheelchair.

    Subject is a model.

  • AITA for refusing to give up my parking spot to a neighbor after finding out he lied about needing it?

    I am (34F) currently living in a condominium building where there are assigned parking spots for everyone.
    via Epiii_Cost
  • My assigned spot is located near the entrance which is important for me since I have an injured knee from before and walking or
    via Epiii_Cost
  • going up the stairs can be quite tough for me at times. Not long ago, about a month ago a new tenant
    via Epiii_Cost
  • named Derek (38M) moved into the building a couple doors away from me. After about two weeks Derek knocked at my door saying
    via Epiii_Cost
  • that he wanted to switch places with me because his mother, who stayed temporarily with him, uses a wheelchair and therefore requires this particular spot.
    via Epiii_Cost
  • I felt sorry for him and switched my place with his. We went to the building manager and did the switching officially.
    via Epiii_Cost
  • A “reserved parking” sign on the side of a building.
    via Chelaxy Designs

    A "reserved parking" sign on the side of a building.

    Subject is a model.

  • Three weeks later I didn't see any elderly women or a wheelchair. I saw his girlfriend park there on daily basis and once I heard.
    via Epiii_Cost
  • Derek explaining to another tenant in the hallway that he actually likes this spot more since it is closer to the
    via Epiii_Cost
  • elevator and the other guy probably won't even notice anything.
    via Epiii_Cost
  • I was irritated at the time but ignored it for a while. However, last week, my knee really hurt after falling down on the ice, and the additional distance to cover
    via Epiii_Cost
  • was quite painful. I asked Derek if we could swap places back as there did not seem to be any sign of his mother around. He started
    via Epiii_Cost
  • being defensive and insisted that a deal is a deal and that I would not be questioning his private affairs. When I pointed out
    via Epiii_Cost
  • that I have never seen his mother, he got mad and said that I am accusing him of lying, and yes, I probably did.
    via Epiii_Cost
  • I asked the building manager to change our places back as it was an unfair deal made upon false information. The manager agreed and changed our
    via Epiii_Cost
  • spots. Derek is now saying others that I backed out of my promise and complicated things, although he was the one
    via Epiii_Cost
  • lying and doing that in order to gain some advantage.
    via Epiii_Cost
  • My sister says that I should've left everything as it was because he obviously wanted it more and that I already made my choice, but I do not think so.
    via Epiii_Cost
  • AITA for taking my spot back?
    via Epiii_Cost
  • BlockTrue8873 You are absolutely NTA, because reclaiming a parking spot that was stolen from you through malicious fraud is just basic justice. Your
    via BlockTrue8873
  • contract was nullified the second his "wheelchair-bound mother" turned out to be a total lie, so take care of your knee and let him cry about it.
    via BlockTrue8873
  • mimos_al NTA. Derek sounds like a piece of work. Just cease any contact with him unless it's necessary.
    via mimos_al
  • Secret_Host5425 NTA. An agreement made on false pretenses is not binding!
    via Secret_Host5425

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neighbors parking space parking spot neighborhood dispute wheelchair resident entitled people
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