What would you do?

[Jazzy]

A person approaches you and says, "pretend we're friends. I'm being followed." What would you do?

 

[Stravinsk]

Whoa. Context needed. Where am I? Uptown city, suburbia, or the slums? The person is male/female and dressed as? In nearly every circumstance I'm going to ignore them and go on with my business. One does not just follow orders from complete strangers.

 

[Lamb]

Whoa. Context needed. Where am I? Uptown city, suburbia, or the slums? The person is male/female and dressed as? In nearly every circumstance I'm going to ignore them and go on with my business. One does not just follow orders from complete strangers.

I agree with this. If it's a female I'd pretend we know each other to help her out. If it's male I have to be more suspicious of his intent.

 

[tango]

Whoa. Context needed. Where am I? Uptown city, suburbia, or the slums? The person is male/female and dressed as? In nearly every circumstance I'm going to ignore them and go on with my business. One does not just follow orders from complete strangers.

Yep. It's easy to see how a woman in distress might look for someone who could give the impression she was protected, but she'd probably look for another woman rather than someone who might leave her in a worse state than the one she was hoping to escape. As a man I'd be cautious that she wasn't hoping to set me up for something bad - you never know if it's a ruse so she can claim I did something inappropriate.

At the very least I'd want to make sure that any pretense of being friends happened in a very public place. A place with CCTV cameras would be better still, just in case any accusations appeared later.

 

[Nazareth]

I actually had need of such a ruse myself long years ago.

Sitting in our HS after school hangout waiting for friends. BCP=Before Cell Phones.
This guy takes a seat in the booth opposite me and starts talking and asking personal questions including, why was I alone there?

I told him I was with my boyfriend. He said I lied and asked where was he then?

I happened to look over at the game spot near the bar and there was a really large muscled tall guy playing one of the games with his friend.
Viable candidate. So, I pointed and said he's right over there.

Persistent little punk said, no he's not. Prove it.

So I got up , walked to the guy, introduced myself and explained my problem. The big guy, who looked like Tom Selleck of Magnum PI fame at the time, took my hand and started walking me back to my booth.

He was 6'8 and played football for a nearby high school.

Worked like a charm. Little guy left the booth and the restaurant.

RE : the OP scenario, if they were female I'd play along.
If male, not likely.

What's a man need a 5'3'' woman for protection for from someone following him?

 

[Prepared]

A person approaches you and says, "pretend we're friends. I'm being followed." What would you do?

Phone the police immediately either they'll walk away or they'll wait.