it is scamming if you're making claims that you're going to pay people back and then not doing so.
it's one thing to give someone a little bit of cash when you know from the beginning that you have zero expectation of getting any of it back. i've done that for friends before when they were in a pinch and i didn't expect them to pay me back, i was just trying to lend them a hand when they needed it. but if you're promising that you're going to pay people back and then you don't, that's just shitty, because you're scamming people into being willing to spot you some money on the premise that they're going to be getting it back soon.
Re: PLURK PET PEEVES
it's one thing to give someone a little bit of cash when you know from the beginning that you have zero expectation of getting any of it back. i've done that for friends before when they were in a pinch and i didn't expect them to pay me back, i was just trying to lend them a hand when they needed it. but if you're promising that you're going to pay people back and then you don't, that's just shitty, because you're scamming people into being willing to spot you some money on the premise that they're going to be getting it back soon.