Beggars

Name of Scam: Beggars

Scam Setup: You are walking around a tourist area of Thailand and someone with a deformity, children, or some other pathetic condition shakes a cup with change in it indicating you should offer them some money.

Scam Analysis: If you saw Slumdog Millionaire you should have a good idea about how these beggar mafias work. They beg in tourist areas because they rely on the kindheartedness of foreigners. But most of their money is going to the mafia as they are organized and transported to and from their begging stations buy the mob.

I have seen women way past their child bearing years clutching a six month old infant. I have also seen that same lady have a baby in the morning but come afternoon she is babyless and some other woman is clutching that same baby (as far as I can tell).

The more needy they appear the more people give to them. Much like the Slumdog Millionaire movie I wouldn’t be surprised if some of their ailments are self or mob inflicted.

The only way to stop this kind of stuff is if you don’t give them anything. If there’s no money to be made then only the truly poor will be begging.

I know that sounds cold and cruel. If you feel the need to help then give it to a recognized charity. Giving the guy who has one leg and drags himself (literally) up and down Sukhumvit road (and Soi Cowboy sometimes) 20 baht to make yourself feel better isn’t helping him. I’ve seen that same guy doing his routine for at least 4 or 5 years now. I’ve also seen how much cash he’s getting and there is no possible way that he’s as down and out as he makes himself out to be. While eating in a restaurant I saw him make more than 100 baht in 1 hour from kindhearted foreigners.

Do the math. If he’s making 100 baht an hour (or more) 8 hours a day for even 20 days a month (I don’t think he takes weekends or holidays off), that’s 16,000 baht a month. Your average girl working at 7-11 makes only about 7000 – 10,000 baht per month.

Yet there he is every day. Dragging himself up and down Sukhumvit. The same lady has been working the steps on the odd numbered side of the stairs as you exit the BTS for years as well. Sometimes with children, sometimes not. Funny enough, even though she’s way past child bearing age none of her children have aged in the last several years. She still has a small infant every time I see her.

Like I said, I know this can be a heartbreaking topic but it’s quite obvious that the vast majority of beggars in the tourist areas are professional beggars. Slipping them 20 or 100 baht isn’t going to help them. The will be there tomorrow and the day after begging. They work for the mafia and the mob is taking most of the money. The only way to combat that is to not give them any money. The mafia is a business and if there’s no money to be made they’ll move onto other profitable ventures.

Any legitimate beggars in tourist areas would quickly be run off by the mafia. Hell, that’s why the mafia exists. They control who can and cannot beg, sell drugs, offer prostitution, etc. in certain areas they control. If a beggar wanted to beg on Sukhumvit the mob would either crack their skull or offer to allow them for a cut of the proceeds. Either way, is that what you want to be supporting?

All of that being said, Thailand is a poor country with virtually no safety net. There are legitimate beggars. But they usually don’t target tourists. If you’re in suburbs of Bangkok and run into a beggar they’re probably legit.

Normally Targets: Good hearted tourists

Prevention: Don’t give money to beggars near major tourist areas. In fact, don’t give money to beggars at all. If you want to help then give to a legitimate charity organization that is trying to help people help themselves.