Expats: Beware the Panhandlers
So yesterday I was with my family at Doha City. I decided to stay back in the car and read while my parents went inside to shop.
An hour later, I heard someone tapping on the window. I looked up to see a man, of South Asian descent tapping on my window. 'Salam Aleikum,' he said when I looked up.
I lowered the window and asked him what he wanted. Realizing I was Indian, he started speaking in Urdu and narrated a extremely pitiful story of how his hand was fractured and he had no money to treat it. He asked me for some cash. I told him I hadn't any after which he began begging again and said he wanted to go back to his home country. I didn't see the relation between his swollen hand and his desire to go back to his home, but the sight of the hand was disturbing. I relented and gave him five riyals. He looked at it and walked away without a word of Thanks.
He then intercepted two Caucasian women walking to their car right behind mine. I lowered the window and watched. He narrated the same story. They listened, ignored him and drove away.
A few minutes later, my Father stepped out of the store. I told him about the incident. He immediately understood and told me I should not have paid him. He told me about an incident near the Family Food Center at Bombay Chowpatty where he met someone similar who showed him a 'plastic bag that ran to his kidney' and begged him for money. Out of pity, when my dad gave him QR 50 he said it was 'not enough'. A waiter at Bombay Chowpatty then warned him against that there was a gang of panhandlers, most of whom are from the Indian subcontinent, who fake medical conditions to solicit money primarily from expats. I then spied him and pointed him out at which point he began to run away.
Please do not indulge these people's requests if you encounter them. The Qatari police are supposedly on the lookout. They seem to congregate at expat heavy areas in Doha.
just ask for their ID. YOu can see them scoot off.
Back with a Brutal truth..
LincolnPirate, Welcome back.. Long time you were absent..
It was a "genuine" Qatari. He spent all his money to buy the 'luxurious' car to impress his neighbor and now even his children haven't any milk to drink. Remember: 75% of the local population are living in debts!
I also face many such incidents. Its true that, bcos of this fake people, we are unable to help the really needed people too. Last week when I came outside of the bank @ evening, one decent guy (in arabic attire) asked me QR.10 to fill his car (a Chevy luxury car) by saying he forgot his wallet. I didnt have change, but he changed it from the bank and took Qr.10 and left. I felt he was genuine, but I wonder anyone has same experience....
I think most of the QLers would have met with these type of panhandlers. I have met may be more than a dozen. Sometimes in mosques and sometimes at different areas of Qatar. One of them even came to our Office earlier. Sometimes I give them one or two Riyals. Only God knows everything.
Interesting. Good for you that you did not fall for his ruse.
A Rule of Thumb: Do not trust any stranger who comes to you begging for money here. It's better that way. Between being a jerk and being swindled - I'll take being a jerk any day.
Interesting. Good for you that you did not fall for his ruse.
A Rule of Thumb: Do not trust any stranger who comes to you begging for money here. It's better that way. Between being a jerk and being swindled - I'll take being a jerk any day.
Yes, I also faced few of these vagabonds. They are very smart in deception. A limping man came to me holding his urine bag and a medicine list of worth 84 QR that he wrote himself. So he asked money to buy the medicine. I never did trust one word he said and drove away. My wife later said that he might be a true patient and I should have listened to his fully story. Guess what !! A minute later we saw him with his another friend walking perfectly without a urine bag. I do not mind helping out real needy people but what’s the criteria and how do you investigate?? A simple and quick test would be to ask who he works for and what’s his job in Qatar. Then ask for his Qatari ID and verify it. Most of these people are on visit visa.
@Bisos: He is the same guy my Father encountered. He was trying to sell perfume to my parents when my Father gave him Qr.50 without buying any perfume. He then turned nasty and said the money was not enough.
People beware! Just tell them that you're calling the police.
I met one of those couple of days ago near to this Bombay Chowpatty and exactly what you said, i gave him some but he was claiming that he needs 80 Riyals for his room rent and trying to sell one portion of Perfume !
@entropia: It's a shame but we need to be ruthless in dealing with people such as these. A simple 'I'm calling Police' will put some sense into their heads.
same same happened to me in the Doha souk parking
I gave that man something because I'm not against help for ppor ppl, but he claimed for more money so I left the scene a bit upset