Do you think street beggers are real or fake?

There are gangs behind beggars. The beggars may not be rich, but the bosses behind them often are. Local churches run a "soup kitchen" (actually, through the generosity of several, especially a butcher based in Stratford, London, we are provided with the means to give clients a proper meal) in my church five nights a week. It is a prosperous area of London, but we still feed 20-40 people each night, and this expands to over 80 on occasions like our Christmas meal. The people we feed are needy, probably about half are actually homeless. But I've hardly seen any of them begging on the street or on trains. If you want to feed the real poor, just set up something like a soup kitchen and invite any beggar who approaches you. Note the beggars that turn up. They could be needy, check them out. Any other beggar is making more money on the streets.

Here in The Netherlands the beggars get money from the government. When you see a street artist (guitar playing man or smething else) you knows he got a nice salary from the government. But sometimes there are real beggars. I think in rich countries like london, the netherlands, france, germany and many more. You can't find a real beggar, I think that the people who preend to beg are fake. But in low i come countries like India, Indonesia and many more. You only find real beggars. I think the percentage of real beggars in low income 95% is and in rich and wealthy countries the percentage is 1%

There are some fake but most of them are real for sure. Who wants to live on the streets when you have a comfortable home to lived with.

I also have that thoughts about beggars. I do want to help them but sometimes I doubt if they are real or fake. I heard some beggars are run by syndicates so this syndicate get lots of money from this real beggars. They must not be tolerated. They should learn to work and also they should not be in the streets and disturb people. In Manila some street children found along the malls are so rude, they won't wait for you to give them food, they would grab anything in your hand suddenly..:(

I would not generalize and say it is always the case, but beggars are often fake. I have personally experienced it where I helped to organize a job for a beggar, and then he just disappeared. I have heard of many people with similar experiences, even where beggars claim to earn more money begging, than what they would if they accept the job that was offered to them.

Yes. Most street beggars are actually fake and they are part of a large group. Normally there are syndicates that lead these beggars. Whenever the beggar gets an amount of money, the head will get it from him. This is why people would not give money to beggars. If we did, then it is like we are promoting this illegal movement.

Begging has become a profession of sort. These beggars are better off financially than many of us wage earners or business people who pay income tax to the government while beggars earned theirs with no sweat and taxed free! It is human nature to be sympathetic to those who are shabbily dressed and smelly. That is how beggars portray themselves to the sympathetic public. What many don't realize is beggars are conman who go around in their most shabby cloths to con unsuspecting and kind-hearted donors to part with their hard earned money. The beggars are laughing their way to the bank to deposit their bagful of money everyday and would come back to the street the next day to skim more victims. For all we know they have fat savings than us and properties splashed everywhere. So think before donating to beggars.

There are different classes of beggars first the beggars who are really beggars who try to ask money for living. ANother type of beggars are one who make it a profession and they are richer than many of people who gave beg to them. Another category of beggar is who are forced to beg as criminals and other mafia work out by making them to beg for. ANother category are the high class beggars as you mentioned those keep hats and try to have some beg from the people. There are many beggars who do different types of works but we can't call them beggars. Like of them either put dramas or sings songs or do something to amuse people and then aspect them to give something tot them. I belive it is good way of working as they work and then get paid for entertaining people.

There are still some that really do need help. So what my husband and I do is if we see one that says they are hungry we will get them some food and give it to them. When my husband still had his own company a few years ago if he would see one that said I need a job he would put them to work. There are other ways around it besides just giving them money, so we still help but not in giving money most of the time for this exact reason...

I can say it is really hard to distinguish. Some real beggars are true to their intention since we can see their sufferings. I have seen a lot of beggars in the city. It is really hard to identify whose fake and real. I pity those who have illness rather than those who have complete body parts and pretending to be beggars. Only God knows.

You can say real or fake, both are correct anyways. You can never can tell.

There are real and fake beggars and some beggars are used by some syndicates.Recently when we are heading to attend the mass there is a girl who is carrying her brother i think ,had a cellphone and texting in the street and when the traffic light turn red so we stop, she stop texting and knocking the window of our car to ask for money, IS THAT REALLY A POOR ONE? And also there aRE beggars pretending that they are blind but i was shock when I pass by that was midnight they are counting the money they have got from begging during the day.

hmmm. some are real, and some are used by illegal groups. Just like here in the Philippines, many beggars especially little children are used for begging money around the street.