# Are “fake homeless” really a thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 15, 2022, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897 "2022-04-15T22:06:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/61 "2022-04-16T21:15:51Z")
1 and 3 together is also a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/62 "2022-04-16T23:29:38Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I suppose you can do one of three things: > > 1. Volunteer your time to help the homeless. > 2. Do nothing; do not give panhandlers money, nor volunteer. > 3. Give panhandlers money. > > IMO #1 is best. Followed by #2. Followed by #3. 1. Give money to a charity that you know helps the homeless instead of giving money to someone directly that may or may not be a scammer. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/63 "2022-04-16T23:48:51Z")
Winners, winner! Volunteering is good too. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/64 "2022-04-17T00:29:10Z")
1. Vote for providing better safety nets. Which could be in combination with any combination of 1, 2, 3, 4. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/65 "2022-04-17T01:44:23Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I was told it is good practice and cures stage fright. > > And even a halfway decent busker brightens my day. I’d been performing a long time when I started doing it, so no stage fright. But it was valuable for me because I could practice obscure, old (sometimes original) music for as long as I wanted. Venues that pay money require Jimmy Skynyrd, Lynyrd Buffet, etc. On street corners, I could gauge people’s reactions to this material to my heart’s content. Thank you for supporting buskers. I apologize for starting this hijack. ---
**Author:** ![Newtosite](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/newtosite/32/8623_2.png) [@Newtosite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newtosite)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/66 "2022-04-17T02:45:07Z")
I know a woman who’s held top level Silicon Valley jobs, owns a four-bedroom home, has three cars (one’s a Mercedes), has millions of dollars in stocks, etc. For the short time she was between jobs, she’d panhandle at freeway entrances wearing a wig so her colleagues wouldn’t recognize her. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/67 "2022-04-17T05:08:30Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Yeah, the deceit is probably what gets people’s goats the most. Similar to the story above about the couple in Chicago that made a decent living with a gas can, there was a couple of folks who would shuffle a mid-80s Buick back and forth between two gas stations at Mockingbird and I-35 all day long. I was working a job where I was delivering A/V equipment, had to stop at these two gas stations in the work van a couple of times a day, and passed through this intersection several times on my way to and from the shop. So, I’d noticed them. > > When I was going home for the evening, I stopped at one of those stations in my own truck to get gas. They approached me, and started to tell me a story about how they needed gas money. I told them I’d seen their Buick moving back and forth between the gas stations all day long, so I wasn’t convinced. They didn’t argue about it. > > On the other hand, I have given money simply because even if the story I was handed was bullshit - it was a good story, and well worth a couple of bucks. My impression with the Greyhound Station guy was - like the Lazyboy song - he just wanted drug money, he wasn’t really hungry. He didn’t look too badly off, had decent clothes etc. I remember the guy who used to hang out ast the St. Geroge subway station in Toronto back when I was in college - he would be there all the time, “can you spare a token?” One day I went to the Spadina station instead, i was running a little late. There he was, with “wanna buy a token?” I do admire the guys with a clever line or gimmick, as long as it’s not too deceptive. (But coming across as the guy who needs $20 for gas seems a bit greedy). But as I said, someone gets one good idea, and then 100 people copy the same idea - and that’s how you get an Elmo infestation in Times Square. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/68 "2022-04-17T17:15:44Z")
Toronto had Margita Bangova a.k.a. “the shaky lady” who feigned or exaggerated palsy-like symptoms while panhandling. She was “exposed” by the Toronto Sun (although she continued to claim she was unhealthy and not rich by any means). ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/69 "2022-04-17T20:09:21Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > You met one scammer, so you’re never going to give anything to people who are really in need? In my experience, the people who are actually in need are willing to take food or whatever they say they need the money for. This is the best way to distinguish between the scammers and the legitimate needs. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/70 "2022-04-19T20:32:27Z")
I think the percentage of people begging for change who live or have lived an enviable life is pretty small. Lots of people never give change (or even respect) to those they do not see as part of their sphere. Many believe they possess special skills or abilities that have uniquely allowed them to succeed and ignore the fact we only essentially control ourselves, not all that well. So they are placing all of the “blame” of a bad situation on its victims. This is part of the reason it is important to raise your children with every type of empathy - affective, behavioural and cognitive. There are stories of beggars who work in teams. One is a well-dressed, smug dude in fancy dress carrying a sign “Need Dollar$ For Cocaine”. No one gives him money, plenty offer unhelpful suggestions. A short distance away, someone who looks in desperate need with a humble sign allegedly gets much more than average donations given the contrast. The two men change roles and divide moneys. But it may not be true, and if fictitious may be damaging for the reasons stated above. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/71 "2022-04-19T20:40:45Z")
In today’s increasingly cashless society, stories of rich “beggars” seem even more incredulous. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/72 "2022-04-19T20:42:28Z")
I’ve heard of beggars or buskers with QR codes so you can give money via Venmo or Square. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/73 "2022-04-19T20:46:23Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I’ve heard of beggars or buskers with QR codes Yeah, in China. Not really a thing in the U.S.A., and I can imagine the right wing uproar if someone tried it here. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/74 "2022-04-19T21:03:32Z")
They’re still begging on the street, so is it really a “scam”? > [@Newtosite](#): > > I know a woman who’s held top level Silicon Valley jobs, owns a four-bedroom home, has three cars (one’s a Mercedes), has millions of dollars in stocks, etc. > > For the short time she was between jobs, she’d panhandle at freeway entrances wearing a wig so her colleagues wouldn’t recognize her. ☹ Whatever her reason for doing that, it’s not money. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/75 "2022-04-19T21:24:27Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > They’re still begging on the street, so is it really a “scam”? I guess if they’re holding a sign that says “Homeless and Disabled” or something like that you could call it a scam. It’s not illegal to beg, and it’s become so common that people give out insignificant amounts of money to anyone asking for it without much thought. It has to be pretty rare for someone to choose that lifestyle when they options. I routinely give out change I’ve dumped in the console, and stuff I might have they can use like when the pandemic started and there was a paper goods shortage I’d give them the box of tissues or roll of paper towel usually flying around my car. Why? Aside from the possible rare exceptions their life must be pretty freakin’ hard and we ought to do better for our fellow Americans. ---
**Author:** ![Newtosite](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/newtosite/32/8623_2.png) [@Newtosite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newtosite)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2022, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/76 "2022-04-20T00:42:54Z")
I think it is. She’s shown a lot of pathological behaviors around money. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2022, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/77 "2022-04-20T00:47:42Z")
If she’s a millionaire with a Silicon Valley executive job, it’s not about needing the money to survive while “between jobs”. With that level of income, she would be able to survive being out of work a very long time unless her spending was way out of control. In which case, pan-handling for change along the highway wouldn’t cover her expenses anyway. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2022, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/78 "2022-04-20T00:56:26Z")
On my local Nextdoor group occasionally people will complain about “fake” panhandlers, although their only evidence seems to be that they are dressed “too nice.” Apparently some people were reporting “fake” panhandlers to the police as well, because local police department actually put out a statement saying that panhandling isn’t illegal, and for that matter there’s no law saying one has to be needy to panhandle. If Jeff Bezos wants to stand on a corner and ask people for money, there no law saying he can’t (They didn’t actually say that part, but it follows from the first part). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2022, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/79 "2022-04-20T01:15:34Z")
You can just open a bank account and deposit the cash. Or do you mean people don’t carry any cash today? I do not know a single person who doesn’t carry a little cash. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2022, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897/80 "2022-04-20T01:54:42Z")
“Dressed too nice”, “Too grubby to get near”, “I once gave someone some money and they didn’t do what I wanted them to do with it, so now I don’t give anything to anyone”, etc. These aren’t reasons-These are just excuses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fake-homeless-really-a-thing/962897.md?page=5)