good to know that if a person hits really hard times and has to resort to holding up a sign he'll be taken for a scammer
You mean a "Why lie, I need a beer" sign? It had gotten so bad in the Annapolis area that they banned panhandling. Some people even had certain "corners" and would fight each other for them. One time, I'm not aking this up, a dude pulled up in a shiny new truck and got into a fight with another panhandler---dude was on the other guy's corner, thus cutting into his funds.
Some people would have their family members out there...
I see my fair share of homeless and beggars, the ones who need the money, will not ask because they are too prideful. The drug addicts, drunks, greedy mofos, deranged lunatics, are the ones who you see on the streets begging like its no tomorrow. And then, you have the people who wish to remain homeless. No care, no worries, no bills.
When you see the amount of food we waste and throw away, that is huge meal for them. Go to McDonald's just before 10:30 am, which is when they stop serving breakfast. Watch them throw out all the breakfast food---if you are nice, they might give a free sasauge biscuit, it was gonna be thrown out any way...