Begging around Sainsburys Local

[gillyjp]

Thought I had better bring it to everyone's attention on this forum that there is a woman who hangs around Sainsburys Local on the corner of Spring Hill by the roundabout, crying - appearing distraught and asking for money. I have witnessed this on several occasions now. I have seen unsuspecting and kind people digging into their pockets and purses and even someone giving her a £10 note.

Of course it's up to each individual if they want to give some of their hard earned cash but she is a consummate actress with her tears and anguish and is preying on people's kind heartedness and gullibility. I hate to see people being ripped off like this.

[Eagle]

I thought begging was illegal.

[mosy]

I don't think begging is illegal Eagle. Maybe you are thinking about collecting money for a charity (or so-called charity) that isn't registered, or soliciting money for a legit charity - e.g. not allowed to rattle money tin or approach people?

Having been taken in by a similar occurrence to that which gillyp relates, where you cannot but help when heartstrings are pulled by someone so distraught (good acting), my view is that if people ask for money (fair enough) I either will or will not give. Duping people is dreadful as it will stop people in future from helping those who truly do need help.

[Eagle]

Mosy

I think many eminent people have suggested in the past we give to legitimate charities , not direct to people in the street.

Begging whether Big Issue or otherwise should not be encouraged.

[mosy]

Maybe so Eagle, but eminent people are unlikely to be short of a bob or two are they? Nor is charity management, whose salaries are double or quadruple average salary let alone minimum wage, despite running many aspects by unpaid volunteers and by definition voluntary donations.

To whom people give their money is up to them. The disastrous, often unfair, immediate withdrawal of benefits to some can't be ignored. Eminent people will never be in that situation will they?

Scammers are a different kettle of fish. Scammers succeed because they're good at what they do.

[alywin]

Reminds me of someone I encountered in central London who claimed she'd had an epileptic fit and someone had robbed her of her money while she was fitting, so she needed money to get back to somewhere down the Brighton line. Yet when I offered to accompany her to Victoria and buy her the train ticket on my credit card she didn't want to know, but just wanted me to get her some money out of the cash machine. Hah!

[alburt.c]

i feel sorry wen i see yung peeples sleep in subway and no home to sleep. i have give monies to help. not much monies to give mayby jus buy hot drink. poor yung peeples sleep on street is vary danjerus for them. i can not help feel sorry.

lady at Sainsbury sound like trick to get monies.

[Parker1970]

Thought I had better bring it to everyone's attention on this forum that there is a woman who hangs around Sainsburys Local on the corner of Spring Hill by the roundabout, crying - appearing distraught and asking for money. I have witnessed this on several occasions now. I have seen unsuspecting and kind people digging into their pockets and purses and even someone giving her a £10 note.

Of course it's up to each individual if they want to give some of their hard earned cash but she is a consummate actress with her tears and anguish and is preying on people's kind heartedness and gullibility. I hate to see people being ripped off like this.

Could you provide a basic description so we know not to fall for it?

[parker]

I wouldn't pi$$ on her if she was on fire.

[bensonby]

Begging is certainly illegal. Section 3 of the Vagrancy Act 1824 makes it an offence:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo4/5/83/section/3

If it is bothering you or she is bothering/intimidating people in general report it to the Safer Neighbourhood Team at Sydenham.SNT@met.police.uk or on 101.

[Manwithaview1]

There was one who used to beg outside Tesco Express in Sydenham Road. anglo-saxon female mid 20s drug ravaged looked ten years older used to plead with people.

Big Issue sellers aren't beggars Eagle.

Why do you persist with that lie?

As someone who has been made homeless twice...

[Parker1970]

Big Issue sellers aren't beggars Eagle.

/Concur

I have no issue with big issue sellers, I do have issues withg general beggars and scammmers.

[butters]

Terribly sad. I have been approached a few times by people in borderline hysterics - someone has died and they need to get home, they have left a violent partner, been robbed themselves - every time my immediate response is ' Oh myg osh are you ok' but when I offer to go buy a ticket or say I don't have cash on me, the tears immediately stop and they walk off!

I think the worst story that sticks in my head is when there was a young chap sat outside a cash point and I brought him a sandwich and some fruit. He takes one look in the bag, and tells me he doesn't like that sandwich and hands it back! And here I thought beggars cant be choosers....!

As someone who has had family members homeless and in temporary accommodation (filthy hostels) it is upsetting that not only is the system absolutely failing, these actors give those in genuine need a bad name.

Its shocking how easy it is to become homeless though. My dad lost his job and flat when he was in hospital long term and the hospital were under no obligation to help, they could discharge him down to the local council office. The council are also under no obligation to house you if you are homeless. He had to spend a night, still dreadfully ill, in the most god awlful appalling hostel. And yet the council were so quick to try and trick us; if we took him into one of our own homes they wouldn't have classed him as homeless and as a single male he was bottom of the chain for the normal waiting list for a home. It took several complaints to a local MP to assist in getting him into somewhere suitable considering how he was so ill he would never work again. We managed, just, but its terrifying to think of the people who end up in that scenario without the support system behind them to fight their corner.

[alburt.c]

As someone who has had family members homeless and in temporary accommodation (filthy hostels) it is upsetting that not only is the system absolutely failing, these actors give those in genuine need a bad name.

Its shocking how easy it is to become homeless though. My dad lost his job and flat when he was in hospital long term and the hospital were under no obligation to help, they could discharge him down to the local council office. The council are also under no obligation to house you if you are homeless. He had to spend a night, still dreadfully ill, in the most god awlful appalling hostel. And yet the council were so quick to try and trick us; if we took him into one of our own homes they wouldn't have classed him as homeless and as a single male he was bottom of the chain for the normal waiting list for a home. It took several complaints to a local MP to assist in getting him into somewhere suitable considering how he was so ill he would never work again. We managed, just, but its terrifying to think of the people who end up in that scenario without the support system behind them to fight their corner.

yes i agree. con woman can make us vary angry but we mus be vary careful not to judje evryone as same.

i hope Dad is well.

[PulledHeartstrings]

So sorry for reviving an old thread, but I was tricked by one of these scams (I'm from Sweden, had just moved to the UK, and I hadn't come across anything similar in the past) and what was described in the first post reminds me a lot of the woman I encountered. I wonder if anyone else had seen her or been in contact with her.

This was in 2017. I had lived in Sydenham for at least a couple of months before I first saw her, and this was around late autumn/ early winter. I got off the train (like usual) and I saw a woman crying and walking around in circles. I was skeptical at first but as I said, I had never seen her before and she truly looked like she was distraught. She looked well kept, had a beige long jacket, blonde, caucasian, around 40-55 years old, spoke perfect English.

I approached her and asked if she was okay, and she gave me a story about being behind on rent and needing £20. That the woman she's renting off won't give her more time to pay it off. I kept asking questions about it like if there is anywhere she can call, any support system (I had just moved, I didn't know how the UK system works). At first I said, I can't help you, and she "broke down", so I went, okay, just take some of my coins, it's not much, but it's a start. I was in the mindset of, if this is true, then at least I made one good deed today. Even if I was skeptical, I wanted to do something good. And I was annoyed by all those pennies anyway.

The second I gave her the money she said "Now I just need to get the rest of the £20" and looking at me expectantly. For a second before when she told me her story I wanted to believe her, but that kinda set all my alarm bells off, but I guess I was too unconfrontational. I told her good luck and went off.

I saw her meeting up with a second woman directly after (as in they walked right behind me, and when I turned around the original woman just kept saying thank you thank you). They went around a corner and started counting the coins I had given her.

After that I saw her several times near the train station looking equally as distraught as the first time.

I felt extremely dumb for letting myself be fooled by this woman, and it makes me sad that it's going to punish all those people who actually need help.

Have someone else encountered this woman? As I said, this was in late 2017. It might be the same woman as mentioned in the first post. I've been searching for more people mentioning her, but I can't seem to find it. I only have one other friend who has mentioned seeing her.

[parker]

Maybe her rent was £20 and she was fine for every month thereafter

[PulledHeartstrings]

Maybe her rent was £20 and she was fine for every month thereafter

Maybe! At least I hope so.

But I don't live by Sydenham station anymore so I wouldn't run into her even if I was there. Maybe I should've clarified that.

[KPR]

There’s another quite aggressive older guy who wanders up and down the high street telling people he needs to get the money together for a hostel place - 50ish white bloke with grey/white stubble. Quite nicely dressed for a beggar. Gets quite pushy when told (politely) that the answer’s no. Tries to stop you walking off - one day will no doubt learn the hard way that there’s a difference between begging and mugging when he tries his act with the wrong person...

[sophie]

This sounds like the same guy who is often at Sainsburys and now Aldi. His common requests are money for a hostel, money to get a ticket to visit someone in hospital and money for petrol (not asked for that recently though). I see him practically everywhere I go in Sydenham.

[f4monty]

Worth noting that one of our neighbourhood PCs has written this elsewhere regarding the aggressive begging:

"We have been working closely over the last few weeks with Bellingham SNT, as we have been made aware of aggressive beggars around Bell Green. ...these individuals have been frequenting Sydenham as well. We have been working together to ensure that shoppers feel safe. Several individuals have been spoken to about this behaviour and issued with formal warnings, where grounds have existed stop and search has been used and the team have made referrals to support agencies to ensure that these individuals can have somewhere warm to stay and get help if they need it. One of the males who has been aggressive to members of public has been arrested and remanded in prison."