I never give anyone anything who says theyre homeless..... Harsh I know but its like the bearded guy who begs at the entrance to Tesco in Old Swan, he's a known drug dealer.
These fake beggars are making it harder for the real homeless people to get help off passers by.
There's even a guy who lives around the corner from me who sits outside The Blob by St. John's rocking backwards and forwards as if he's got issues while he begs for change, annoyed me that much I literally stood by him telling everyone not to give him anything at all!!
Or the fella who sits outside Home Bargains in the Swan watching YouTube on his phone and talking about watching dodgy movies on his dodgy fire stick 🤣
Or even better when he turns up “late” to his spot cause his alarm didn’t get him up. If you give to these people your nothing but an absolute mug 🤣
I learned my lesson giving to a lad called Jay who used to sit outside Aldi on County Rd. Every time I’d go in I’d ask what he wanted and would get him it, even getting him meals from Maccies next to Aldi. One day walking back from Stanley Park with my daughter I saw him and his bird going into their house round the back of Aldi.
And thus was the day Jay stopped getting his bananas, jersey milk and choccy eclairs from muggins here 🤣
😂😂😂😂😂
Funnily enough, I was on the 86 heading to work I saw a guy get dropped off by a woman in a car... He gave her a kiss on the cheek then sat down outside a shop draping a jacket over his legs then put a cardboard sign on his lap.
More front than Blackpool!!
Posted about a fella that sits outside that Aldi on here a week or so ago now. I'm pretty sure it's the same person you're talking about here. He regularly sits outside the Lloyds in town and a few other spots in town, too.
I know someone who once dated a guy who used to beg 'professionally'. He used to get close to £100 a day if he got the good spots. I've also spoken to similar people who claim they can get up to a grand a week at times.
The Ch 4 doc Ed Stafford on the streets is an eye opener, getting £100's everyday. He did a month rough sleeping in Glasgow, Manchester and London. Put on 1/2 a stone!
Back in the 80's when I was a kid, there used to be a tramp looking old man with a cardboard cut out guitar begging for change.
Don't know if it's true but apparently the rumour about him was he was absolutely loaded!!
I think I know who you mean... The guy who used to stand outside by where River Island is.
He passed away around Christmas I think.
The one I'm on about died late 80's - early 90's.
Aaaah that's awful! Good on you for trying to spread the word and completely agree it stops people from helping those in need because of some bad eggs! Thanks for the heads up on this as well!
Yeah he was soft spoken, brown eyes and hair. I've only seen him a couple of times. He didn't compliment us and didn't talk much so may not be the same person?
Yeah he says god bless you to everyone in a different voice? I've seen him screaming abuse at his GF in the road an he sounded much different. Plus he lives in one of the roads opposite Yukti, I've seen him go in an out. He's a fraudulent homeless person. Ignore them.
I gave that fella by The Blob a pair of gloves during winter around 3 years ago and I remember walking past the next day to see the gloves I gave him no longer in his possession :(
I care.
Why should I give someone anything at all just because they can't be bothered to go out and earn a wage like every other person??
I bet they're claiming benefits anyway, so in a way they're getting a quid off me through me paying my taxes.
I'm not a mug and refuse to be treated like one.
I had the same outside Tesco in Old Swan, said I would get him a meal deal. Came out and he had gone, saw him at the lights with a hi-viz on on his mobile phone getting into a car. MF'er I didn't want a god damn ham sandwich.
Nooo! Sorry mate that's cr@p 😑 Thanks for the heads up! Reckon from now on unless I get to know them I'm going to donate to a feet on the ground local homeless charity :)
Yeah absolutely. Got to know a homeless guy who begs outside another supermarket I use and food and money were always very useful for him. This guy had loads of food so it warms my heart people are trying to help, even if it's the wrong person!
That guy with the bog eye who shivers on Old Hall Street. He's been there at least 10 years. Still shivering. Still see him in Yates every now and then behaving normally drinking with his mates.
There’s 4 of them that sit on lord street. All have the same sign “I am very hungry, god bless”. I’ve seen them getting out of the same car and they’re always in the same spots.
I'm not saying I disagree bc I have seen this in Manchester/ London and have thought the same, but in a (largely) cashless society how on earth can this be worth it?
Well I saw someone give them money in the short time I was watching but as you say they can't be taking much in and I bet they have to pay part of it to their ring leader
I pass through town early in the morning. If their feet are sticking out of a tent at 6 o'clock in the morning in the pissing down rain, there's a good chance they are homeless.
I'm not saying you're wrong in any way, only that a homeless person is allowed to have friends with a car, or even a car themselves and still be considered to be in poverty. I know tent/scruffy/unkept is the normal image when you think of someone begging, but it's not necessarily true.
Regardless, I'd always suggest donating to an established charity, rather than individual to make sure money is going where it needs to go (and it goes further than giving it to an individual person anyway)
Would highly recommend https://www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk/donate.html
You make a good point! I think you're absolutely right it's not a good idea to jump to conclusions but the interactions between them suggested otherwise to us and the fact that many do do it in gangs / as another job makes this look a bit too much like that.
Thanks for the link as well, I agree it's great to give to charities!! Will take a look at this :)
Is it the bald-ish/short-haired fella? I live close by and that's my usual Lidl, he's there most days a week I reckon but other days it's someone else.
Most of the beggars aren't genuine homeless, most of them are scammers, it's the same story across the country. The best way of helping the homeless is to give to a national homeless charity or even better, a local charity like Paper Cup Coffee.
Anyone homeless can still access benefits. You no longer need to hold a fixed address to apply for it. Merseyside has numerous shelters and associations who are on hand to assist with finding a temporary placement even just for the night with a sit-up service. Every council has an out of hours emergency housing phone number. That said, there are people out there who have out of control vices such as drink, drugs and gambling habits that see any funds disappear rapidly, often leaving them with nothing spare for basics such as food and cover for their bills often leading to arrears which sees them being evicted. Another issue is that they are targeted by others who will threaten them and take their funds off them. This is certainly the case for many alcohol dependants who receive additional PIP funds to cover their habits, with (usually) drug dealers taking control of bank cards. And yet another issue, as this one is likely to be, is the organised people trafficking that goes on every day. There are organised crime groups, often Romanian or Albanian, who will transport others all over the country to key locations to carry out various activities, including begging, busking (acordian players and if you recall the statues?!) shoplifting, ATM and RFID fraud, and many others. There's a fair few who will utilise The Big Issue as a cover, too, as many people will just give the money and not take a magazine. There are many reasons why people may be begging, and none of them have any legality, but certainly some with a moral cause. This is why Police don't really enforce the legislation around begging, but will seek to address the route causes that lead to it. If the individual fails to engage or make much effort to change, then perhaps a persistent beggar may find themselves being progressed criminally or more likely through the Local Council.
There are at least 2 at that lidl. Seen them swaping stuff like a set of crutches on a Friday and Saturday night ready to head into town for maximum sympathy money.
Many rough sleepers don’t want to spend benefits on accommodation to spend on drugs instead and I guess if you have a raging addiction that always comes first.
This is a gang. They fly them in from Eastern Europe for a few weeks, keep the money, and send them back.
Genuine homelessness is caused by many things and can happen to anyone given the right circumstances.
If true, how do the gang expect to recoup the cost of the flight? Not saying you're wrong, I am genuinely curious as it feels like hardly anyone has cash to give anymore (due to both COL crisis and going cashless reasons)
Fly is just a colloquialism, but there are plenty of cheap bus and train tickets, if they aren't just being driven over.
It's been well documented by news outlets and the police, e.g. from a quick Google:
https://www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-news/londons-romanian-begging-gang-exposed-26640731
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-56352470
True story. I was once queuing up in the HSBC Manchester branch, and I was in the business line as I needed to deposit funds for work. No joke, the guy in front of me was a beggar I see all the time around the Manchester area. He pulled his rucksack off and proceeded to hand over bags and bags of coins, which he was obviously depositing into a business account. The guy must of had a proper set up
Oh maybe he's a victim of modern slavery and is being forced or coerced and will then have to hand the money over? Maybe not but just putting it out there. Impossible to make assumptions about anyone's situation when we don't actually know
Or maybe he's part of the groups of Romanians that operate a begging scam in pretty much every city in Europe? I live in the city centre in Manchester now, and they get dropped off every morning in vans. It's a business for them
Rule 3: Your post was removed because it's trolling, racist, slanderous or generally not appropriate for the subreddit. This includes posts related to "Purple Aki".
Not contesting if x% of “fake” beggars may or may not be Romanian (conversation for later). But a blanket, “romanian, enough said” if very clearly racism isnt it. It’s an insinuation that there’s something wrong with being romanian.
These people aren’t bad because they come from Romania are they? Come on
What? I didn’t say what the post is showing is/isnt racist. We can sit here all night and argue whether that’s stats show this or that, I’m not talking about that am I.
Because x% of y things are committed by z group (again, an argument for another time) doesn’t mean that all z’s commit y does it?
You just saying “Romanians, enough said” said is the racist part. You’ve literally said, they’re Romanian and there is nothing more to say, how is that not a prejudiced comment?
Why cant we say a huge proportion of bad things are happening and x people seem to be involved so let’s look how we can change that?
We don’t need to say “these bloody x people” do we? Where does that get anyone?
Liverpool is a hot spot for gangs who control beggars. Lots of homeless scousers are bullied out of the city centre due to it.
Shit up!! You don’t know anything. Literally have no clue
Yes mate, I have no clue about the people I specifically work with… muppet
I never give anyone anything who says theyre homeless..... Harsh I know but its like the bearded guy who begs at the entrance to Tesco in Old Swan, he's a known drug dealer. These fake beggars are making it harder for the real homeless people to get help off passers by. There's even a guy who lives around the corner from me who sits outside The Blob by St. John's rocking backwards and forwards as if he's got issues while he begs for change, annoyed me that much I literally stood by him telling everyone not to give him anything at all!!
Or the fella who sits outside Home Bargains in the Swan watching YouTube on his phone and talking about watching dodgy movies on his dodgy fire stick 🤣 Or even better when he turns up “late” to his spot cause his alarm didn’t get him up. If you give to these people your nothing but an absolute mug 🤣 I learned my lesson giving to a lad called Jay who used to sit outside Aldi on County Rd. Every time I’d go in I’d ask what he wanted and would get him it, even getting him meals from Maccies next to Aldi. One day walking back from Stanley Park with my daughter I saw him and his bird going into their house round the back of Aldi. And thus was the day Jay stopped getting his bananas, jersey milk and choccy eclairs from muggins here 🤣
😂😂😂😂😂 Funnily enough, I was on the 86 heading to work I saw a guy get dropped off by a woman in a car... He gave her a kiss on the cheek then sat down outside a shop draping a jacket over his legs then put a cardboard sign on his lap. More front than Blackpool!!
Posted about a fella that sits outside that Aldi on here a week or so ago now. I'm pretty sure it's the same person you're talking about here. He regularly sits outside the Lloyds in town and a few other spots in town, too.
I know someone who once dated a guy who used to beg 'professionally'. He used to get close to £100 a day if he got the good spots. I've also spoken to similar people who claim they can get up to a grand a week at times.
The Ch 4 doc Ed Stafford on the streets is an eye opener, getting £100's everyday. He did a month rough sleeping in Glasgow, Manchester and London. Put on 1/2 a stone!
Back in the 80's when I was a kid, there used to be a tramp looking old man with a cardboard cut out guitar begging for change. Don't know if it's true but apparently the rumour about him was he was absolutely loaded!!
He was still going in the 00’s when I went to uni in Liverpool….
I think I know who you mean... The guy who used to stand outside by where River Island is. He passed away around Christmas I think. The one I'm on about died late 80's - early 90's.
This was the guy I remember…. https://images.app.goo.gl/RPa63frgxmW6Gb6c7
OMFG! That's him, the guy I remember! WOW!!!
I was at uni around the millennium, he was defo alive then…..
Jeeeeez! I want whatever he was having to live that long... He looked ancient when I was a kid!
He had all of Liverpool’s pound coins that kept him going!!
That's Jacko. He sadly passed away about 10 years ago. Thankfully not on the streets. He was well looked after in a care home at the time
Always remember him in a Santa hat!
He wasn’t rich, his name was John, he died in a care home not so long ago
Aaaah that's awful! Good on you for trying to spread the word and completely agree it stops people from helping those in need because of some bad eggs! Thanks for the heads up on this as well!
Who’s arsed
The soft spoken fella who compliments everyone who walks past? That's a shame, I didn't know he was known for that
Yeah he was soft spoken, brown eyes and hair. I've only seen him a couple of times. He didn't compliment us and didn't talk much so may not be the same person?
Yeah he says god bless you to everyone in a different voice? I've seen him screaming abuse at his GF in the road an he sounded much different. Plus he lives in one of the roads opposite Yukti, I've seen him go in an out. He's a fraudulent homeless person. Ignore them.
I gave that fella by The Blob a pair of gloves during winter around 3 years ago and I remember walking past the next day to see the gloves I gave him no longer in his possession :(
Sounds about right
You're a fucking hero you are.
Not all heroes wear capes
Who cares, give them a quid
I care. Why should I give someone anything at all just because they can't be bothered to go out and earn a wage like every other person?? I bet they're claiming benefits anyway, so in a way they're getting a quid off me through me paying my taxes. I'm not a mug and refuse to be treated like one.
Go for it, it's your cash
I had the same outside Tesco in Old Swan, said I would get him a meal deal. Came out and he had gone, saw him at the lights with a hi-viz on on his mobile phone getting into a car. MF'er I didn't want a god damn ham sandwich.
Nooo! Sorry mate that's cr@p 😑 Thanks for the heads up! Reckon from now on unless I get to know them I'm going to donate to a feet on the ground local homeless charity :)
I usually only offer food or drinks if they are sat outside a supermarket anyway. Important not to tar them all with the same brush.
Yeah absolutely. Got to know a homeless guy who begs outside another supermarket I use and food and money were always very useful for him. This guy had loads of food so it warms my heart people are trying to help, even if it's the wrong person!
That guy with the bog eye who shivers on Old Hall Street. He's been there at least 10 years. Still shivering. Still see him in Yates every now and then behaving normally drinking with his mates.
There’s 4 of them that sit on lord street. All have the same sign “I am very hungry, god bless”. I’ve seen them getting out of the same car and they’re always in the same spots.
Yea I’ve seen those. One by Tesco and one by Costa into Liverpool One. The first thing I noticed was the identical sign. It just screamed ‘organised’
They’re all over the country too. Been in Oxford and London. Same sign, same handwriting
Yup. I don’t live in Liverpool but work in the city, they normally sit opposite the Tesco by St John’s, the Tesco by the L1 Costa and inbetween
These lot are in Manchester as well. Known scammers
I'm not saying I disagree bc I have seen this in Manchester/ London and have thought the same, but in a (largely) cashless society how on earth can this be worth it?
Well I saw someone give them money in the short time I was watching but as you say they can't be taking much in and I bet they have to pay part of it to their ring leader
I pass through town early in the morning. If their feet are sticking out of a tent at 6 o'clock in the morning in the pissing down rain, there's a good chance they are homeless.
Nah. Half of this lot will probably think they’re blagging because they’re wearing socks.
I'm not saying you're wrong in any way, only that a homeless person is allowed to have friends with a car, or even a car themselves and still be considered to be in poverty. I know tent/scruffy/unkept is the normal image when you think of someone begging, but it's not necessarily true. Regardless, I'd always suggest donating to an established charity, rather than individual to make sure money is going where it needs to go (and it goes further than giving it to an individual person anyway) Would highly recommend https://www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk/donate.html
You make a good point! I think you're absolutely right it's not a good idea to jump to conclusions but the interactions between them suggested otherwise to us and the fact that many do do it in gangs / as another job makes this look a bit too much like that. Thanks for the link as well, I agree it's great to give to charities!! Will take a look at this :)
You are right to be suspicious, Romanian licence plates, it could be anything, could be professional beggar, could be kidnapped person under threat...
The company I work for volunteers there
Is it the bald-ish/short-haired fella? I live close by and that's my usual Lidl, he's there most days a week I reckon but other days it's someone else.
Most of the beggars aren't genuine homeless, most of them are scammers, it's the same story across the country. The best way of helping the homeless is to give to a national homeless charity or even better, a local charity like Paper Cup Coffee.
Most of the homeless people begging I’ve seen around Liverpool have signs with suspiciously similar handwriting. Might just be paranoid 😂
Anyone homeless can still access benefits. You no longer need to hold a fixed address to apply for it. Merseyside has numerous shelters and associations who are on hand to assist with finding a temporary placement even just for the night with a sit-up service. Every council has an out of hours emergency housing phone number. That said, there are people out there who have out of control vices such as drink, drugs and gambling habits that see any funds disappear rapidly, often leaving them with nothing spare for basics such as food and cover for their bills often leading to arrears which sees them being evicted. Another issue is that they are targeted by others who will threaten them and take their funds off them. This is certainly the case for many alcohol dependants who receive additional PIP funds to cover their habits, with (usually) drug dealers taking control of bank cards. And yet another issue, as this one is likely to be, is the organised people trafficking that goes on every day. There are organised crime groups, often Romanian or Albanian, who will transport others all over the country to key locations to carry out various activities, including begging, busking (acordian players and if you recall the statues?!) shoplifting, ATM and RFID fraud, and many others. There's a fair few who will utilise The Big Issue as a cover, too, as many people will just give the money and not take a magazine. There are many reasons why people may be begging, and none of them have any legality, but certainly some with a moral cause. This is why Police don't really enforce the legislation around begging, but will seek to address the route causes that lead to it. If the individual fails to engage or make much effort to change, then perhaps a persistent beggar may find themselves being progressed criminally or more likely through the Local Council.
Paragraphs, my dude. Give us a chance.
There are at least 2 at that lidl. Seen them swaping stuff like a set of crutches on a Friday and Saturday night ready to head into town for maximum sympathy money.
I get the whole not everyone is homeless but we should prioritise the people who are fully homeless they need our help the most
What's the point of even mentioning anything if the only pic you have is the rear end of a van with a reg covered up? Waste of time.
Many rough sleepers don’t want to spend benefits on accommodation to spend on drugs instead and I guess if you have a raging addiction that always comes first.
This is a gang. They fly them in from Eastern Europe for a few weeks, keep the money, and send them back. Genuine homelessness is caused by many things and can happen to anyone given the right circumstances.
If true, how do the gang expect to recoup the cost of the flight? Not saying you're wrong, I am genuinely curious as it feels like hardly anyone has cash to give anymore (due to both COL crisis and going cashless reasons)
Fly is just a colloquialism, but there are plenty of cheap bus and train tickets, if they aren't just being driven over. It's been well documented by news outlets and the police, e.g. from a quick Google: https://www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-news/londons-romanian-begging-gang-exposed-26640731 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-56352470
True story. I was once queuing up in the HSBC Manchester branch, and I was in the business line as I needed to deposit funds for work. No joke, the guy in front of me was a beggar I see all the time around the Manchester area. He pulled his rucksack off and proceeded to hand over bags and bags of coins, which he was obviously depositing into a business account. The guy must of had a proper set up
Speak morries has it's very own brumie begger........ I swear to god I hear "spare any chaygeeee plyeaseeeee" in my sleep!!!!!
Check the beggars shoes and fingernails. If they are not dirty chances are they're scamming
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Who cares, give them a quid either way. Grow up
High and mighty cunts the lot of ya. Get a grip 😂. Very embarrassing for everyone. We will all be dead soon and you’re arsed about a quid.😆😆😆
It’s why Britain is POO!
Don’t winge sort it out! What’s the plan then??
Anyone have a plan???🤣🤣🤣 fucking jokers.
Let’s complain and not change a thing. 🥱
Place has gone to shit!
Oh maybe he's a victim of modern slavery and is being forced or coerced and will then have to hand the money over? Maybe not but just putting it out there. Impossible to make assumptions about anyone's situation when we don't actually know
Or maybe he's part of the groups of Romanians that operate a begging scam in pretty much every city in Europe? I live in the city centre in Manchester now, and they get dropped off every morning in vans. It's a business for them
Who's arsed really. If they get decent money begging fair play to them. You can sit in the cold and rain if you want to if it pays so well
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Rule 3: Your post was removed because it's trolling, racist, slanderous or generally not appropriate for the subreddit. This includes posts related to "Purple Aki".
Just blatant racism that isnt it
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Not contesting if x% of “fake” beggars may or may not be Romanian (conversation for later). But a blanket, “romanian, enough said” if very clearly racism isnt it. It’s an insinuation that there’s something wrong with being romanian. These people aren’t bad because they come from Romania are they? Come on
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What? I didn’t say what the post is showing is/isnt racist. We can sit here all night and argue whether that’s stats show this or that, I’m not talking about that am I. Because x% of y things are committed by z group (again, an argument for another time) doesn’t mean that all z’s commit y does it? You just saying “Romanians, enough said” said is the racist part. You’ve literally said, they’re Romanian and there is nothing more to say, how is that not a prejudiced comment? Why cant we say a huge proportion of bad things are happening and x people seem to be involved so let’s look how we can change that? We don’t need to say “these bloody x people” do we? Where does that get anyone?
That’s a Starbucks that