A Mysterious Woman
She couldn't take her eyes off the woman. Could it be true? Was she trying to fool her all along? So many thoughts were racing through her head. Maybe she was just being lured. But, perhaps she was also in danger.
But, when the beggar agreed to sit into that car, she knew that something was wrong. She decided to go after her and find out the truth. But, little did she know that she'd discover a web of lies.
A Regular Day in Her Hometown
It was just another day for Melissa Smith, and she was doing errands in her hometown of San Diego, California. Every time she went to the local grocery store, she would see the same friendly faces. But, there was also another person she knew she would come across - the panhandler.
However, on that very day, Melissa thought something was off. She trusted her gut instinct and started investigating. While she was putting the bags into her car, Melissa saw that the beggar and her baby boy were leaving their spot. However, what happened next had Melissa reaching for her phone.
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Shopping Plaza
Since the poor woman had to live on the streets, she decided to claim a right spot. During the day, she would sit in a small place just outside the East Lake Village Center—a shopping plaza that contained restaurants, grocery stores, salons, dentists, vintage stores, florists, clothing departments, jewelry stores, and sweet shops.
People would walk around all day long, and their pockets would be full of change. The beggar knew that someone would be willing to give her some money, especially once they notice her baby bump. But, she never thought that someone would be keeping tabs on her.
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Trusting Her Gut
California is known for Hollywood, impressive architecture, national parks, beautiful weather, but also for a high number of homeless people. But, sometimes, people would just pretend to be homeless, and Melissa never allowed these con artists to fool her.
But, every time she went grocery shopping, she would see the same woman. “I felt bad. There’s a pregnant lady with a little boy who is down on her luck,” she explained. But she never expected that her gut feeling would lead to a shocking revelation.
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Family Comes First
Every time she went shopping, Melissa would notice the same woman wearing stained clothes and standing in the scorching sun for hours. Usually, she was alone but, sometimes, a strange man would keep her company. Melissa assumed it was her husband.
The woman became well-known in the area, and shoppers would frequently give her sandwiches, drinks, and some change. The woman managed to stir the emotions of the public. However, an additional member would help with their collection. Melissa was unable to contain her curiosity.
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So Many Questions
Melissa felt sorry for the beggar. As if being homeless wasn’t hard enough, the woman also had a family to feed. Every time she went shopping, Melissa would pass this lady. And, this lasted for two months straight.
Melissa thought that the woman must have been so desperate to stand in the sun without any food or water for hours. To make things worse, she was also visibly pregnant. However, Melissa still thought there was something suspicious.
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Coming Up With a Plan
It seemed that the pregnant woman was experienced and that she knew what to do to get everyone's attention. She was well aware that her situation would make everyone feel sorry for her. So, she came up with a perfect story - an expecting mother fights for survival with her young son.
Also, she would also hold a cardboard sign with “please help” scrawled across in black ink right above her bump. If the people didn't feel sorry for her or her little boy, they would feel sorry for her unborn child. Maybe the lady was telling the truth. But, Melissa wanted to make sure.
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Chance
Melissa lived close to the East Lake Village Center, and she would often do her shopping before the after-school rush. But, one day, she had a craving for a fresh smoothie. It was almost closing time, and the beggar was missing from her spot. Melissa felt a little bit worried and hoped that the woman was fine.
All of a sudden, Melissa noticed that she was low on gas, so she decided to stop by a gas station located right across the road. As she was stepping out of the car, Melissa noticed something unusual that would lead to an "investigation."
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A Mysterious Driver
Melissa noticed the homeless lady standing at the side of the shopping complex. She was trying to get a few more pennies before finally going home. All of a sudden, a vehicle appeared around the corner and raced towards her.
There were so many questions going through Melissa's head; who was the driver, was the beggar in trouble, and where did her little son go? But, as she observed the car for a few moments, Melissa started becoming very suspicious. Was she giving this too much, though?
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Man's Identity Revealed
After waiting to see what would happen next, Melissa became very confused. The driver was the beggar's partner. But, that's not what surprised her the most; it was the car he was driving.
The man was driving a Mercedes Benz—a luxury car well-known for its high-quality leather interiors and expensive price tags. Melissa was determined to act. Little did she know that she would make the headlines.
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Pictures
“They were leaving, and I noticed they went into a Mercedes Benz. I thought, ‘Wow, a Mercedes Benz?'” Melissa revealed. To make things worse, the car was expensive and also spotless, as if it was brand new. Without thinking, Melissa jumped into her car and started following the couple. She decided to record everything on her phone.
When she caught up with them, they were laughing. “Lo and behold, they were in front of us. Here they are counting money, laughing. Their little boy is not in a car seat or a seat belt. He’s in the front seat with them,” Melissa explained. She was so angry, and she didn't want to let them get away with this. She knew she had to notify the public. But, she had no idea what else she was about to reveal.
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Caught in the Act
Melissa followed the man and woman, and she was surprised to see them stop in front of another shopping center. It seems that these two had planned everything out. Then, the woman stepped out of the car and started doing her thing.
“She sits there with the sign. He goes [and] parks the Mercedes. They put up the sign and not less than five minutes; here she is getting money from all these people,” Melissa explained. All this time, she knew that there was something off with the beggar. But, little did she know that this discovery would involve the authorities. She was just scratching the surface of something much more profound.
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Getting Angry
Melissa was so mad at the beggar, and she started taking pictures of her and her son. Or, was he her son at all? However, the couple spotted Melissa soon. They were enraged, and they started yelling and screaming at her. The woman even grabbed a huge rock.
“Next thing I know, she picked up this big boulder,” Melissa said, “I don’t know if pregnant people can do that, but it was pretty big over her head and coming at me with this rock.” Another woman was close by and, as soon as she noticed what was going on, she decided to call the cops. This made the beggar grab the little boy and start running away. However, Melissa wasn't willing to give up yet.
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Finding out the Truth
Melissa was not willing to let these impostors get away that easily. She posted all the photos on her social media accounts and contacted the local news station. She had to make sure that the locals knew about this deception and prevent more people from giving money to the beggar.
But, the news station was very curious, and they wanted to find out if there was more to this story. So, thanks to Melissa's photos and videos, they were able to run the plates from the car. It turned out that the vehicle was registered to a female, but the address was undisclosed. And, this is just the beginning of the story about these fake papers.
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Visiting the Encinitas Heights Apartment
Soon, many journalists became obsessed with this story. They were able to trace the lady's whereabouts to Encinitas Heights Apartments. The residents of the apartment paid monthly rent of $2,500. As soon as the word got out, magazine, radio, and paper journalists went to the address, knocked for days, but no one answered. The lights were off for days, and no one entered or exited the apartment.
Then, something else happened. A new couple moved in, and the couple who lived there previously had left during the night, without any notice. Melissa was amazed by the amount of attention this story was receiving.
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Going Viral
Melissa shared this shocking story online and backed everything up with pictures and videos. Many journalists contacted her to get more information and share the story themselves. “I feel bad. Don’t give these people money. They don’t need it. They’re driving a Benz,” she pleaded.
The residents couldn't believe this. They were shocked to see that someone would use a small child and pregnancy to prey on the pity of others. A few days later, journalists would receive a phone call that made the storm to a new scene.
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Spotting the Beggar
The beggar was spotted! One young lady named Rebecca heard the story about the panhandler while driving to one shopping center. There, she recognized the woman from Melissa's videos.
She immediately left a comment under Melissa's post and posted a picture as proof. As soon as this news reached Emily Valdez, she gathered her crew, and they were on their way to the shopping center. They wouldn't let the panhandler slip away again.
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Confusion
Valdez followed the tip and started searching for the woman in the shopping center. She came across several pregnant ladies, but none of them were beggars. But, when she finally came across the woman from Melissa's posts, she was shocked.
Valdez was sure that the panhandler was pregnant. But, two days after Melissa discovered the truth, this woman was in another shopping center holding a baby. But, Valdez didn't let this stop her.
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Finding the Panhandler
Valdez approached the woman and pointed the microphone towards her. “Is this you, begging?” Valdez asked as the crew was recording everything. Valdez reached for her phone, so she could show the beggar Melissa’s video.
The woman stared at the phone, then at Valdez, and then she looked at the camera. “I don’ speak English,” she whispered. Her little boy tugged at her jumper. He was undoubtedly the boy from Melissa's photos. But then, as Valdez began to follow the woman up the street, the beggar's husband showed up.
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Match
“Keep the camera rolling!” Valdez said. She was willing to do anything for a good story. The man tried to keep the journalists away from his family, but they wouldn't give up. The journalists followed the family up the street, around the corner, and watched them pile into the back of a minivan. The vehicle had the dealer plates, and Valdez was convinced that she caught them.
She ran facial recognition on the woman from the video and the woman she had met that same day. She was glad to see the results; they were an 80% match. Valdez then observed the woman’s partner. There was something about his reaction that made her think there was more to uncover. And, her hunch was right.
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Finding More Clues
The mysterious man said something in Spanish to Valdez. However, he whispered something to his partner in a different language. Valdez couldn't understand a word he said, but she was willing to do everything in her power to reveal that. Later on, the comment would expose the very truth this man was trying to hide.
Valdez downloaded the footage, placed the headphones on her head, and pressed play. She listened to the words over and over again. But, she couldn't identify the language. But, she was lucky enough to receive a phone call from an expert.
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Help
Leslie Albright is a retired detective, and she came across Valdez’s short interview with the suspects. She was a crucial member of the San Diego Police Department during the investigation of underground crime rings. After working for 25 years, Leslie became a specialist.
This story had Leslie thinking. She knew that she had heard that language before, but she couldn't remember where. Then, it hit her. Leslie realized that the woman was not an ordinary beggar and that this story was more sinister than it seemed.
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Secrets Come Out
Valdez wasn't the only one searching for the beggar, but the rest of the Internet as well. But, they didn't have a clue that a scam was about to be exposed. There was much more to this story than any of the estimated.
For the past few years, people started noticing a problem in their community. California was portrayed as a city of hip culture and lavish lifestyles, but there was one big problem everyone ignored, and it was getting worse by the day. One Reddit user finally wanted to expose the truth, but doing this was risky.
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Identifying the Language
Leslie devoted her career to catching criminals. And, usually, beggars aren't involved in any offenses. But, the language the mysterious man was speaking made her think that there was more to this story.
She watched Valdez's footage again and recognized the language. The man was speaking Romani, and they had a standard method to dismiss the press. What else was this couple hiding?
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Hustle
Detective Leslie realized that the couple was involved in an organized crime ring she was investigating for years. This group started their boxing right after their illegal entry into the US. Sadly, they commit crimes daily. The members of the group lived in inexpensive apartments and owned multiple vehicles. This allowed them to scam so many people.
Leslie shared her conclusion with Valdez. The man and women from the footage were more likely to be co-workers than couples. And, the pregnancy was just a scam. There were even more layers to this story...
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Escaping the Justice
For a long time, authorities were trying to catch these perpetrators and bring them to justice. But, they were smart enough not to stay in one spot for too long. As soon as they notice that someone is onto their act, they pack their bags and flee.
Unsurprisingly, the beggars Melissa caught on tape did the same thing. And, just when it seemed that everything was over, one man stepped in and provided some information. This could help the authorities find out more about the perpetrators.
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Reddit Whistleblower
This unknown man revealed some information that even put his own life in danger. Moreover, he shared all the details on Reddit. “I had a friend of a friend tell me that they knew them and that they’re just a hustling pair of Con Artists whose families conned their way into the country.”
But he didn't stop there. He even claimed that the woman was forced to do all these things. The man was afraid for his safety, and he deleted his profile shortly after sharing this information. What could be the consequences if his identity was revealed?
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Getting To The Bottom Of It
After this, more and more information started surfacing. It turns out that the woman would often stuff her clothes with foam and pretend that she's pregnant. Thanks to the fake belly, she would earn more than $500 daily. But, she was not the only one who did this.
When it comes to crime rings, men often lead their operations. They promise desperate women shelter and food in exchange for some work. The women are dispatched every morning and collected in the evening. Of course, the profit isn't distributed fairly. Those who run everything lead lavish lifestyles while others don't.
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Threatening Phone Calls
“They’ll use the babies, children, anyway they can… the children will not go to school because their job and their future is the Family Business,” Leslie revealed later. These children usually don't receive any education, and crime becomes everything they know.
“People should know, there’s plenty of service and organizations that exist to help people and especially for women with children. They’re taking advantage of them all as well as scamming people at the parking lot entrances. Neither of them is reporting the money they’re making from her begging, and both are claiming poverty to get state and federal assistance,” the anonymous Reddit user also added. But then, he started receiving threatening phone calls. Before removing all traces of himself online, the informant had one last thing to add.
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Warning
“They might be up and trying this scam again, or it might be another woman, either way, call the cops on them, making sure to tell the dispatch that they’re “the BMW scammers” so they’re identified, and the state can start the proper deportation proceedings against them… don’t help any of them or give money to any of the panhandlers you might see.”
The Reddit user's warning was clear. Of course, Leslie's former team is still working to catch those who run operations like this one. And, let's not forget about Melissa. Without her intuition, people would never hear the truth about these beggars. But, one question remains. If the police can't catch them, how will they be stopped?
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