Charity Collectors Scamming in Santiago?

[ffp13]

Having spent some time on several occasions in Santiago I have observed what appears to me to be organised groups scamming tired arriving pilgrims. Their main targets appear to be Asian and elderly Pilgrims, their method is to approach you to sign a petition and if you oblige they then follow up with a request for money. I observed a Korean girl get her travel money to make a donation, when the scammer saw how much she had she insisted on a bigger donation and even tried to select the denomination of the note/notes herself from the satchel bag with the money.

I see these people here all the time, but the authorities appear to turn away not wanting to see?
Are there no laws in Spain that require charities to be registered an collectors to be accredited and have proper identification.

I can accept genuine beggars asking for money, but not organised groups from who knows where freely operating their scam with apparent immunity.

Another scam or ploy that is employed some professional beggars is to acquire a dog, I guess having a dog increases the amount of charity they receive.

 

[Trudy]

You're not be first to notice this problem, and the scam is rife in big cities all over Europe, particularly Paris where police occasionally round up all the collectors. These people are not collecting for charity, it is a scam and the bottom line is that it's stealing. The best thing to do is walk away if approached.

 

[ffp13]

The best thing to do is walk away if approached.

I do walk away, but I find it sad when I see innocent victims being scammed, the elderly lady gave two notes ( I'm not sure of the denomination but the smallest is 5 euro ). And the Korean also gave a note and the scammer tried to take more!

I see the same people daily, the authorities MUST see it too!

I am cautious not to interfere to much in her dealing with her victims because I don't know what support network is behind the organised scammers, and I value my well being . When I tried to warn the Korean girl that the petition/donation was a scam a beggar outside the cathedral verbally abused me.

Frank

 

[trinencadian]

I don’t know if they are for real or also a scam but along the camino, there are those asking for money as well. Apparently to set up an organization for the deaf. Again, not sure if it is a scam or not but I didn’t give them money. Especially since the two women approached me in the middle of a forest with nothing to indicate they were representatives of a real group! It was very strange… Anyone else came across them? I saw them in May of this year

 

[pudgypilgrim]

It's a scam. They're in every city in Europe, especially bad in Paris, as mentioned earlier in this thread. If you're in a position to hang around, you'll often see the "deaf" people chatting merrily away with each other on their lunch breaks.

Another recent thread about this:

el-camino-frances/topic18855.html

 

[trinencadian]

ha! good to have it confirmed! thanks, pudgypilgrim