Face of Nation : In central Melbourne, organised professional panhandlers pass around a laminated sign with the word “help” in big bold letters at the top.
The sign tells a fictional tale to those kind enough to stop and offer assistance.
“Due to my heart disease and urine disease, a variety of diseases and dirty hair, I can’t take of myself,” the sign reads.
Next to the sign is a bowl full of small change, but it’s not just a few dollars here and there. The fake beggars — who are flown into Melbourne to work the streets on behalf of a syndicate believed to have originated in China — make large daily profits.
They share clothes, including a jacket with patches sewn into it.
When they finish up for the day, they don’t sleep rough like Victoria’s homeless population. They meet on the steps of Melbourne’s State Library and hand the jacket and sign over to a well-dressed younger woman.
They take trams out of the CBD before the tools of the trade are wheeled out the next morning when it all starts again.
Less than 10km east of the city, a similar operation is underway. In Balwyn, the same group takes shifts begging for money.
A woman, who did not wish to be named, told news.com.au members of the group frequents the wealthy suburb — where the median house price is well over $1.5 million — and are given “up to $50 at a time”.
There they share signs and chat with one another. But they don’t need accommodation or food — all they want is cash.
She said she once offered the use of an apartment she was not using at the time to a man in a wheelchair. He trashed the place and she found him begging again on the street.
“We took him home with us via McDonald’s to get food — it was about 11pm and nothing else was open — and he stayed in a house I offered for four to five days,” she said.
“I drove back on the weekend to check on him and there was no sign of him. We found carpets with cigarette holes, wine spilt on the floor, bathtub full of water and vomited parts of sausages. The kitchen benches were covered in off food. It was a mess.”
She said the man had a home and was begging for money because it was more lucrative.
A Victoria Police operation on Monday and Tuesday this week uncovered more information about how the group operates.
Codenamed Operation Aquium, police targeted the fake beggars at a number of busy intersections around Melbourne.
Pictures obtained by the Herald Sun showed police holding a see-through bag filled with bundles of $50, $20 and $10 notes as well as small change.
Melbourne East Acting Inspector Giovanni Travaglini told reporters this morning that seven people were charged with begging-related offences and possessing property suspected of being the proceeds of crime. He said police seized an amount of cash.
“Those seven individuals are identified as being professional beggars. All seven people have access to housing and they are actually residing in the CBD,” Mr Travaglini said.
“During the interaction we seized an amount of money and foreign exchange receipts which indicated a lot of the money the good people of Melbourne are giving is basically being exchanged for Chinese currency.”
Police said the group had with them Chinese passports and tourist visas. The police spokeswoman said the enhanced community reassurance operation was conducted to “enforce legislation” relating to people taking advantage “of the good will in our city”.
Ricky Liu, who lives in an apartment near Swanston Street, shared footage of the beggars in action with news.com.au.
He said he offered to help but “they only demand cash”.
“If you approach any of them with your camera, they will instantly try and hide their face then pack up and quickly leave the area. More recently they started wearing balaclavas to hide their identity,” Mr Liu said.
“They also have one laminated card they all share amongst each other talking about funds needed for a leukaemia operation.”
Melbourne woman Kate confronted one of the female beggars last week. Footage of the confrontation, shared with news.com.au, shows the woman quickly packing up her things when Kate approaches.
“Stealing money from people who actually need it,” she says. “You’re not homeless. You have a home and a car, I’ve seen you with it. You’re a fake, you’re not homeless. That’s why you’re running away. You’re stealing money from people. You’re a thief.”
The same woman, pictured on Monday in tears as police confiscated a hat full of money, did not respond to Kate’s questions.
In 2015, a study shared by the ABC found some professional beggars were earning up to $400 a day.
The study, conducted by the Salvation Army, found nine out of 135 beggars interviewed admitted to being professionals.
“We had one person indicate to us that he was raising in the vicinity of $300 to $400 a day or an evening and he was doing that on a regular basis,” Salvation Army Major Brendan Nottle said.
“That was about six days a week, and so he saw that as a very profitable way of earning income.”
The Victorian Council of Social Services CEO Emma King told news.com.au that “if (beggars are fake) … then that’s an insult to Melburnians and an affront to those genuinely without a home”.
