Gang of ‘hardcore’ fake beggars con people for hundreds

Nottinghamshire Police recently arrested a ‘homeless’ man – and discovered he was carrying £800.

For many students, owning this amount of money at one particular time  may be unheard of, but not for this fraudulent ‘tramp’ – and ten other ‘hardcore’ beggars operating in the Nottingham area.

The haul seized by police

The discovery of this vast sum on this known beggar – apparently after only three days’ work – by the Notts police shows, according to senior officers, that the money is definitely not needed. Another member of the same gang has been reported to have boasted to the Nottingham Post about earning £700 in a week.

With some members posing as Big Issue sellers, this group of conmen are neither homeless nor in need of help – a fact seemingly unknown to the blissfully ignorant citizens of Nottingham.

The gang are thought to have targeted shoppers all over the city centre

And although some see it as daylight robbery, the police were forced to hand back the wad of cash to the fake beggar as he hadn’t technically broken any laws.

‘People need to understand that they are being conned,’ said Chief Inspector Shaun Ostle of Notts Police, adding that ‘finding that amount of money on someone like that doesn’t surprise us any more.’

Whilst Ostle adds that these hardcore ‘beggars’ are a minority, Nottingham homelessness charity Framework warns against giving to beggars as there is no way of knowing where the money is going. It seems that in the case of these tricksters, certainly not on food or shelter.

After another incident earlier in the week, involving a Trent student being tricked, the Tab advises caution when dealing the homeless.