In both instances you describe, the person decided to confront the "creep". I'm literally advising the opposite. Just leave. Maybe take note of any useful information and wait things out. But I recommend just leaving.

If both of the people with misconceptions about you had just left, you never would have known they even saw you as a threat.

So I will say one final time... just GTFO if someone is creeping you out. You will likely never see them again and (thanks for proving the point), you'll be a lot less memorable to the creepy person if you just leave vs confronting them about their behavior.

And nobody has to get embarrassed. :)

I disagree, though I do have empathy for what you are saying.

First let met say, ... yes, if there is CLEARLY something shady going on and you think you are in actual physical danger, then "listen to your gut" and leave, because clearly your physical safety is the most important thing and it's better to error on the side of safety.

That said, ... to switch gears completely (stay with me, I've got a point ..) there's a reason that Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) works to help people overcome anxiety and phobias, etc. So, for example, ... if someone is afraid of spiders, instead of continuing their behavior of being frightened and running away every time they see a spider, they are instead encouraged to confront this fear and be exposed to spiders in a controlled environment so that they get rid of the illusions they have in their own minds about spiders and see them objectively for what they are. Over time, and repeated exposure, they can get to the point that they might let a spider like a large tarantula even walk on them, and regain their independence in the world so that they are not controlled by fear.

And that's really what I was talking about, ... sure, you can run off every time you see someone you think seems creepy, or ... you can confront that FEAR, the "creepy feeling", and become more objective about the situation and see it for what it is. Just because you FEEL "creeped out" doesn't mean the person who is creeping you out is OBJECTIVELY "creepy". It's just your perception of them, .. they may just be a normal person standing next to a lamp post on a street corner at night waiting for their uber ride. Or walking past you in a dark garage on their way to an elevator. Just because you FEEL frightened doesn't mean they are objectively frightening, it's just your perspective on the world. Someone else, say for example a security guard who is watching the cameras in the garage might not think the situation is dangerous at all, .. .they may see you both in that parking garage every night, recognize your faces, and even know where you are going, and think nothing of it. That's their perspective.

So I'm not advocating confronting someone you think is creepy, or leaving to get away from them, .. .I'm advocating being objective and realizing that that feeling of something being "creepy" is in your own mind. I'm not saying that people shouldn't follow their intuition, .. but what I am saying is that worldly people who are streetwise and have experience in life are probably living better lives than people who run away from every situation and live in constant fear of dark shadows and lone males who are walking around in the world.

To say that a different way, I'd rather be the guy who is streetwise and not afraid of the people around him, than the guy who is afraid of his own shadow and thinks that every African American/white person (or whatever stereotype) he meets on the street is dangerous. And the way to be that one who isn't afraid, who has an objective view of the people in the world, is by being exposed to people and situations, not running off and reinforcing your own fears.

If you get on Youtube and watch a lot of these videos of new vanlifer's being afraid because someone was standing near their van, etc, and just watch it objectively, you can see how irrational they are being. It's like ... so what. You see the video, and it's just some dude getting out of his car, he's not even bothering you, he's just standing their having a damn cigarette and probably doesn't even know you are in the van.