Shoppers conned by fake beggars outside Tesco

Professional beggars who are on full benefits have been attempting to dupe shoppers outside Tesco in Cradley Heath by getting them to hand over money.

Police have warned shoppers not to give any cash to the con artists who have been posing as homeless and begging for donations outside the supermarket on Foxoak Street.

Chiefs said a group had been posing as homeless outside the supermarket in an attempt to get money out of people when they are actually receiving benefits.

Groups of around half a dozen have been gathering outside the shop, with some said to have been waiting near cash machines to put pressure on people drawing out money.

Officers revealed they had put a dispersal order in place to try and ban the nuisance beggars from hassling shoppers. They also said they would be seeking to convict those involved.

Old Hill and Cradley Heath Police said on its Twitter account: "Please do not give money to beggars outside Tesco, Cradley Heath. They are professional beggars who are in receipt of full benefits.

"There is a dispersal order in place for the Cradley Heath area to target the professional beggars and seek convictions."

Cradley Heath councillor John Tipper said he was aware of the scam, which he described as 'appalling'. He said shoppers were being intimidated by the beggars.

He said: "They used to congregate around cash machines pressuring people to give money to them. Given the problems with homelessness across the borough it is really appalling preying on people's generosity. Big groups of people are congregating around. It's an appalling thing to do when people are already hard pressed."

He said many people had fallen into the trap and mistaken the scammers as homeless people.

"It's not surprising the amount of people that have been willing to offer them money but my advice would be don't," he said.

Councillor Tipper believes it will be difficult to stop the beggars, even with the dispersal order in place.

"The police are spending a lot of time working on this but it's difficult for them. They can disperse people but as soon as the police aren't around they can come back. It's an ongoing problem and it's going to be difficult for the police to keep on top of it," he said.