Shopping Center Music Scammers

Qball

Qball

Member
2A Bourbon Hound OG
Charter Life Member
Benefactor
Supporting Member
Multi-Factor Enabled
Joined
Dec 17, 2016
Messages
6,336
Location
Triad
Rating - 100%
7   0   0
This past summer, I drove to our local Harris Teeter and noticed a guy playing a violin in the parking lot. I’m not sure how many days he was there but I recall seeing him a couple of times.

A few days ago, I saw this guy standing in the exact same spot, different guy, apparently playing an accordion.

Both of these guys were getting a crap ton of tips from people walking or driving by.

I came across an article a few days before seeing the accordion guy about a nationwide problem with these scammers in shopping centers and other areas acting like they’re playing a musical instrument when it’s just a recording.

Apparently this is an organized scam and not just some independent fraudsters pulling the same scam.

Between the time I walked into the store and the time I walked out and left the parking lot, there were probably fifteen or twenty people stopping their cars or walking up to this guy and giving him money.

E6A686F7-E413-416B-BA2F-7CDB9CA561EC.jpeg
 
The guy in the photo above is a different individual than the guy I saw this past summer allegedly playing the violin. However, they both were standing in the exact same spot.
 
There were several in the N Charlotte area maybe 6 months ago. A few even had a couple children with them. Saw the same violin speaker set up multiple times in different areas with different people playing. What was really obvious to me was that the violin music was recorded and they were totally faking playing.
 
Jerzsubbie said:
As annoying as it is, I blame the people giving them money. They are enablers, plain and simple.

Bleeding hearts think that these people NEED their help and they feel bad, so they throw a few bucks.
Click to expand...
This, my best friend has an aunt and uncle out west who haven’t “worked” in 20+ years. They panhandle 4-5 days a week and bring home over $120k a year (as of the last time the rest of the family spoke to them several years back) and get all the social services and assistance programs. They live in a nice middle class home and both drive nice late model luxury vehicles (paid cash for them) take several nice vacations every year. I’m convinced that 99% of the “homeless” and panhandlers are either 100% scammers, mentally unsound or just druggies.
 
Qball said:
This past summer, I drove to our local Harris Teeter and noticed a guy playing a violin in the parking lot…
I came across an article a few days before seeing the accordion guy about a nationwide problem with these scammers in shopping centers and other areas acting like they’re playing a musical instrument when it’s just a recording.
Click to expand...

Guarantee if you had walked up to him and said, “Well, I guess you didn’t know it but I’m a fiddle player, too, and if you’d care to take a dare, I’ll make a bet with you”, he would have packed up his sh*t and got the hell outta Dodge City.
 
Dale Gribble said:
Guarantee if you had walked up to him and said, “Well, I guess you didn’t know it but I’m a fiddle player, too, and if you’d care to take a dare, I’ll make a bet with you”, he would have packed up his sh*t and got the hell outta Dodge City.
Click to expand...
The best friend I spoke of above, is an excellent (concert quality) violinist but is a workaholic and only takes his violin out if the case every few years, I’ve teased him when we see someone like this playing violin, to try to get him to ask if he can “try it out” he just laughs. I don’t know enough about it to tell if they’re actually playing or not, he does
 
Last edited:
This is the kind of thing I’d like to do in retirement. Set up a chair and a sign that says “he’s a scammer”, and sit there reading a book.

I also want to buy some some wheel boots and put them on cars parked by a-holes. Then give them the number for Amazon customer support so that they call them all pissed off and screaming.
 
johnnyb said:
This, my best friend has an aunt and uncle out west who haven’t “worked” in 20+ years. They panhandle 4-5 days a week and bring home over $120k a year (as of the last time the rest of the family spoke to them several years back) and get all the social services and assistance programs. They live in a nice middle class home and both drive nice late model luxury vehicles (paid cash for them) take several nice vacations every year. I’m convinced that 99% of the “homeless” and panhandlers are either 100% scammers, mentally unsound or just druggies.
Click to expand...

Boy, it should would be a shame for a nice honest couple to have the IRS pay them a visit.
 
Qball said:
The guy in the photo above is a different individual than the guy I saw this past summer allegedly playing the violin. However, they both were standing in the exact same spot.
Click to expand...
They probably lease the space. ;)
 
Chriselalto said:
Boy, it should would be a shame for a nice honest couple to have the IRS pay them a visit.
Click to expand...
If I knew their personal info…it would be tempting, however the thing is most people like this don’t have anything really to lose ya know? House and cars are paid for, no paycheck for the irs to attach…no job or reputation to worry about…
 
Seen a couple lately.
One dude “playing” violin at HT near here.
Same crappy tune over and over. Not recorded. Unless they found worst musician in the world and recorded them.

This is not a “scam”. It’s a dude getting donations for playing terrible music. Just like Cardi B or Billie Eilish.

I gave him 5 bucks for music lessons and because they are out there suffering through their own “music”.

Come on y’all. Respect the hustle. Whatever you are doing ain’t that great and isn’t important either! Most people get paid to do a job. And most people don’t do it very well. But at least they are doing it.
 
I saw the same folks rotating thru Wake Co some months ago. The strip mall ran them off. I never considered that the guy with the violin was "lip syncing". My thought was if he needed money he could sell his electric violin and amp. I got no use for these folks. Every store front and fast food joint in the area has a help wanted sign. I worked to put money in my pocket from the time I could walk until I turned 55 and took early retirement. And when I retired I was working 60 hr weeks while the 20 somethings my company just had to hire, played on the internet and with their dingle berrys 8hrs a day. Eff all these effing people. THe world dont owe them a livin' and neither do I.
 
There was a kid here in Fayetteville a couple years ago who was playing violin doing sort of the same thing, but he had no speaker, and he was REALLY good!! I’ve been a musician all my life and he really was playing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
johnnyb said:
This, my best friend has an aunt and uncle out west who haven’t “worked” in 20+ years. They panhandle 4-5 days a week and bring home over $120k a year (as of the last time the rest of the family spoke to them several years back) and get all the social services and assistance programs. They live in a nice middle class home and both drive nice late model luxury vehicles (paid cash for them) take several nice vacations every year. I’m convinced that 99% of the “homeless” and panhandlers are either 100% scammers, mentally unsound or just druggies.
Click to expand...


Show me on this doll where the begger hurt you.

I can't really make myself get upset over panhandlers. I prefer the folks who are actually doing something to the ones just hanging out. There is a corner of my local Walmart parking lot taken by a rotation of people bumming for money. I like the guy playing trombone, I want to stop and give him a few bucks next time I see him. The last folks I saw had their Cash app number on their sign. Industrious, I think.


It's just a more direct and honest version of EBT and welfare. At least with panhandlers it's consentual.


Ferrisfan said:
This is the kind of thing I’d like to do in retirement. Set up a chair and a sign that says “he’s a scammer”, and sit there reading a book.

I also want to buy some some wheel boots and put them on cars parked by a-holes. Then give them the number for Amazon customer support so that they call them all pissed off and screaming.
Click to expand...

Why wait for retirement? Start being a jerk right now. Or try leaving other people alone.


How can a guy asking people for money be a scammer? I could hold a sign saying I need money, that would be true. There are plenty of people cruising this forum when they're supposed to be working, scamming their employers.
 
I took this photo in Nashville on Lower Broadway in early October. Everybody in Nashville is a "Musician", so I gave the guy a couple bucks for originality.

Penis Enlargement.jpg
 
Last edited:
Qball said:
This past summer, I drove to our local Harris Teeter and noticed a guy playing a violin in the parking lot. I’m not sure how many days he was there but I recall seeing him a couple of times.

A few days ago, I saw this guy standing in the exact same spot, different guy, apparently playing an accordion.

Both of these guys were getting a crap ton of tips from people walking or driving by.

I came across an article a few days before seeing the accordion guy about a nationwide problem with these scammers in shopping centers and other areas acting like they’re playing a musical instrument when it’s just a recording.

Apparently this is an organized scam and not just some independent fraudsters pulling the same scam.

Between the time I walked into the store and the time I walked out and left the parking lot, there were probably fifteen or twenty people stopping their cars or walking up to this guy and giving him money.

View attachment 406940
Click to expand...
I thought you visited the southwest Charlotte Teeter when I first read this. Same MO.

By the way, the discussions/disputes on the Nextdoor app about this scam are A LOT more entertaining than the music!
 
Another thing, they get real confused when you ask them if they know any Charlie Daniels....
 
GoWolfpack said:
Show me on this doll where the begger hurt you.

I can't really make myself get upset over panhandlers. I prefer the folks who are actually doing something to the ones just hanging out. There is a corner of my local Walmart parking lot taken by a rotation of people bumming for money. I like the guy playing trombone, I want to stop and give him a few bucks next time I see him. The last folks I saw had their Cash app number on their sign. Industrious, I think.


It's just a more direct and honest version of EBT and welfare. At least with panhandlers it's consentual.




Why wait for retirement? Start being a jerk right now. Or try leaving other people alone.


How can a guy asking people for money be a scammer? I could hold a sign saying I need money, that would be true. There are plenty of people cruising this forum when they're supposed to be working, scamming their employers.
Click to expand...
You have touched on a differentiation that deserves an explanation. I don't really mind panhandlers, and I kind of enjoy street performers (street magic is a clear path to a donation). What I mind are the people who pass around a fireman's boot while standing on the corner near the volunteer fire department implying that they are collecting money for them (I asked. They aren't). Or the same people who hit me up at the gas station because they just need some gas to make it back home every time I go. Or the people who have so little talent that they have to pretend to be a street performer. It rubs me wrong the same way (but not with the same magnitude) as stolen valor does. It was mentioned above, but I do not "respect the hustle". That doesn't mean that I never give. There are just some hustles that bug me enough that I want to shatter the illusion.

I'm waiting for retirement because I don't have the kind of time they have. I'm also already a jerk...I aspire to be a colossal a-hole to them.
 
Last edited:
Aardvark said:
I took this photo in Nashville on Lower Broadway in early October. Everybody in Nashville is a "Musician", so I gave the guy a couple bucks for originality.

View attachment 407015
Click to expand...
Yes, the only times I'll reach into my pocket are for talent or originality.

I had this fellow come up to us in Baltimore who was collecting "donations for the UNPF." When someone in my group (LE training), as we kept walking, annoyed, asked what UNPF was, he said with a huge smile in his face, "Oh, that's the United Negro Pizza Fund...I'm hungry!". We donated.
 
Last edited:
NKD said:
Come on y’all. Respect the hustle. Whatever you are doing ain’t that great and isn’t important either! Most people get paid to do a job. And most people don’t do it very well. But at least they are doing it.
Click to expand...

This is hysterical. Love it. :)
 
Several years back, the wife and I were out to eat in downtown Winston and had this panhandler come up and ask for a couple bucks. He straight up told me he was going to buy a beer with it. I had a few drinks with dinner and I gave him a couple of dollars because I appreciated the honesty. Its usually the "I'm trying to get back to Raleigh and I only need $2 to get some gas" BS. What kind of car are you driving that can get to Raleigh on $2?!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom