Penalize cheats posing as beggars

Real destitute people will find it difficult to get alms if people start acting as beggars to deceive others into helping them, says an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:

Four men flew from Nanchang, Jiangxi province, to Chongqing some time ago to find "suitable" jobs. After they couldn't land any job, they started begging on the streets to collect enough money for their journey back home. Ironically, they were wearing watches and rings, and a couple of them also had the new iPhone6.

Begging is the last resort for the needy to survive. But begging is also an old business for "professional beggars". The four Nanchang residents found begging in Chongqing are healthy and have enough economic resources. They are not professional beggars either. They tried to act like people in desperate need to generate enough sympathy among others to give them money.

The public security and public administration department should expose such people, instead of taking their case casually. Many professional beggars lead a relatively comfortable life with the money they earn from begging in cities. Public administration departments have to differentiate between such frauds and destitute people forced to beg, so that the real needy are not deprived of the sympathy of altruists.