Game is up for $150-a-day beggar
West Auckland beggar Conrad has learnt his first lesson in personal finance - never share your income.
Fairfax NZ published a story about Conrad yesterday in which he claimed he was making up to $150 a day from begging at Henderson’s Lincoln North Plaza. He also said he was not homeless, and used the money for drugs.
He says the publicity has cost him dearly, and now ‘‘no-one is being nice to me’’.
Conrad said his father called him yesterday morning about his face being ‘‘all over the social media’’.
The attention he was getting was ‘‘ridiculous’’, Conrad said. ’’I will get arrested.’’
Henderson Community Constable Martyn Spear said the man had been issued with a trespass notice from Lincoln North Plaza for begging.
Spear said he had been working with other agencies to make sure Conrad did not return to the area, and it was disappointing to see him back in the plaza.
Conrad claimed there was a begging ‘‘syndicate’’ operating in the area.
A retailer also says a syndicate operates in the area and that there is ‘‘a leader of the ring’’.
‘‘It’s not as organised in a way that you would expect a syndicate to be. However, there is a degree of mutually beneficial cooperation between them whereby they look out for each other,’’ Spear said.
He said drug and alcohol addiction was the reason behind begging ‘‘without exception’’. All the beggars he had dealt with at the plaza were not homeless, had social support and were on a benefit. - Fairfax NZ