To be annoyed by scam big issue sellers, and those behind this set up?

[Creambun2]

In my area of London a cohort of women sell the big issue, always outside waitrose stores. They rotate around different stores in the area on different days, so seller A will be at one store on Monday then move another on Tuesday to be replaced by B etc.

Several times I have seen these women using very recent iphones (and trying to be discrete about it) and I saw one last week being picked up by a man in a very new luxury car.

I think the big issue should be more aware of situations like this and try and prevent it? Aside from anything else I'm sure these women may be being exploited themselves.

Selling the BI means you are self employed which opens up the right to claim a host of benefits
Not any more

Why is it of any significance that sellers are Eastern European?!

I'm just wondering why the make up of sellers has changed so noticeably in my area. I've noticed the sellers seem to be mostly Eastern European now. I am mentioning they seem to come from one place as that might be significant. I'm not wanting to give in to my suspicions/ prejudices about gangs. Was hoping someone might know why this change might have occurred.

TalkinPeece I hope you've contacted social services about the shared toddler?

What Creambun says.

Selling the Big Issue was originally set up as a short term way to help homeless people earn some money in order to help get them housing and employment. It then became a way of declaring yourself as self employed, and therefore entitled to a whole load of benefits. It's now a massive con and no longer fit for purpose.

In my area there's an Eastern European Big Issue seller who has been selling for at least 6 years. She stands near a cash point, and I recently saw a very elderly lady give her £5 saying "that's all I can afford to give you today", which was quickly pocketed. Looking at them both, IMO the elderly lady was way more in need of that £5 than the Big Issue seller. 😡

Who is it that I need to report her to?

I suspect these groups of women are being exploited by a gang-master who takes any benefit money they do get.

The ethos used to be that the sellers were doing a job, providing a service, instead of begging, giving them self-respect and dignity. I used to say 'Keep the change', but then they seemed almost surprised that you actually wanted the magazine as well, and a bit reluctant to hand it over.
Recently, in my suburban shopping centre, we have the supermarket and ATM BI sellers but also out and out beggars who obviously know the BI sellers, but have no copies of their own. I'm wondering if the BI are tightening up on their distribution, or whether the gangs aren't bothering to pretend any more and are moving on to straightforward begging, as they do in some areas of Central London.

Jonsey
it has been reported but as all of the people doing sharing assure SS that they are related to said child and are just "minding" its chuffing hard for anybody to act

creambun
OH YES its human trafficking clear and simple

A lot of this goes on OP. My example is not with the Big Issue but still mega cheeky. A guy came out of KFC with a huge bargain bucket under his arm (so over a tenner probably) He then had his hand out to everyone asking for cash I thought seeing as DH and I work full time and can barely afford takeaway, there was no way I am funding his!

Yanbu. Sadly big issue sellers are not what they are. Its been taken over. Im talking south london

To be honest my mind would run away with me but in a different way, did she WANT to get into the luxury car or was she being forced into her?? Was the iphone from this same person who pays her bills to control her? Please dont judge until you know the story.

Not forced into her into it i meant.

I no longer buy it anymore as most sellers are controlled by Eastern European organised crime gangs. Really sad that such a good idea is being exploited.

There are Eastern Eurpoean BI sellers here.

As well as sand artists (either dogs, goriillas or dragons), accordion players, violin players, living statues and balloon sellers.

Seeing the state of where I live, I'm surprised there's a living to be made....😕

Being self employed doesn’t automatically open up a whole load of benefits. And organised begging is done by Brits too. There’s some comments on here there are just not factually correct. I’m almost expecting someone to say the homeless get more benefits for having a dog....

Isn’t it suspicious that they are ALL Eastern European now? I’ve hardly encountered one that isn’t, I see a lot of homeless who aren’t.

ALL East European? I think that’s a bit of a generalisation? And Eastern European people can be vulnerable too. You don’t have to be entirely homeless to be a vendor.

Eggz
Most true homeless are British born.
And they do not beg
Many have Mental Health issues
the best way to help them is to donate time or money or stuff to the charities that run the day care centres for the truly homeless.

our local one is TwoSaints and they are very low key but doing an amazing job combating austerity

High street beggars are very unlikely to be homeless

I work in central London in an area that has a lot of homeless. One morning recently I saw a man shouting at a few women BI sellers ordering them to go down a particular street separately. When I reached my office block there was one directly outside and she has been there every since. I have also seen her approach a couple of guys smoking outside a pub. They are all Eastern European, part of a gang, and they are roaming the streets where they like, they are not on official pitches. Meanwhile, the deserving homeless are sleeping in doorways...Is there a way of reporting them, would BI do anything?

MrsGrindah
Under EU law, if they cannot find work or an income in a country other than the one they were born, they should return home and countries are fully entitled to put them on the train
funny that the Brexiters forgot to mention that bit

True homeless are British, often mentally ill, often ex care home, sometimes ex forces

And yes, it is relevant that the new wave of BI sellers seem to be E.European. Just as it was relevant that the Morecambe Bay cockle diggers were Chinese. It's a sign of gang-related exploitation. I'd go further and say they are probably Romanian, like the group who colonised the green space round Marble Arch and Park Lane last summer.

It's a Europe-wide problem and focusing on i-phones is turning a blind eye to trafficking. I've read there is also an issue with nail-bars, but I haven't experienced that round here. For balance, there's also an excellent team of Romanian builders who've done a top-notch job on my neighbour's extension. Skirting round the question of ethnicity led to Rotherham and Rochdale.

I’m quite frankly disgusted by some of the comments here. Yes, gang related organised begging is a scourge , but the idea that the only true homeless are only the Brits is absurd.It implies only the British homeless are the true deserving poor. Bloody hell have we really come to this?!

YANBU unreasonable OP and I can not roll my eyes hard enough at all the virtue signallers jumping on you for pointing out that if someone is in such poverty they're resorting to selling the Big Issue on the street, it seems odd they would be holding onto a nice expensive iPhone rather than, say, getting a couple of hundred quid for it at Computer Exchange which they could put towards a cheaper model of phone and some hot food.

I got scammed this week when I passed a man sitting with a sign saying "Hungry". Didn't have any cash but I popped into Waitrose next door to buy him sandwich, water, fruit, crisps and a free coffee. When I tried to give it to him he first refused it (in broken English) and only eventually accepted it after he saw the shocked look on my face. I probably won't do the same again.