To think this is a scam?

[Abi35]

Just to be clear, this isn’t an anti-homeless people/beggars post, I’m just wondering whether this in particular is a scam of some sort.

My daughter is at university in central London, and to get there from her halls she walks down the Kingsway, where there is a big four way junction. A lot of pedestrians gather at this junction waiting to be able to cross.

She says that sometimes, while she’s waiting to cross the road, a woman will come up to her, address her as ‘sister’, and either beg her for money or ask her to buy her an Oyster card. This lady said she needed to get to Sevenoaks.

It’s not always the same woman, but they’re always Eastern European and aged about 40-60 (she thinks), and are always wearing a children’s rucksack. Sometimes there’s only 1, sometimes there’s a group.

My daughter does give change to homeless people, but she feels very uncomfortable when these women approach her.

AIBU to think it’s an organised scam, or are they genuinely in need?

I go somewhere early on Saturday- there is cheap on street parking in a large city but it fills up early- I only park for 2 hours but most people are arriving for the day- shop workers etc.

I see the professional beggars arrive in cars. Get out- sort out their sleeping bags, cardboard etc and go to their pitch. The business that I go to overlooks 1 pitch- they know the exact times of the shift change- it is a joke in the building- it is clockwork on timings - everyday.

These beggars are probably exploited but they are certainly not living on the streets.

@CommonGrounds I used to see the shift change at old street station

They assemble outside Prezzo on the corner of New Oxford Street and Museum St. They drink coffee and smoke on the seats outside. A pram is often tucked round the corner, or in a recess next to the church next to the hotel.

Then they split up and one goes to Kingsway, a couple into Oxford Street. There used to be one outside the British Museum but the security shooed her away.