Beggars: what to do?

This article
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gives the impression that dropping a few cents in the cups of the people who hang around outside supermarkets is directly financing organised crime, rather than helping a person who's down on their luck.

What does the team think?

Saw this actually happen outside Lidl a while ago. A lady was begging, and asked my wife for money as we left Lidl. Told her no, and then as my wife was taking the trolley back, a bloke, non Spanish, in a van pulled up by the lady and asked how much she had got, and told her he would be back in a few hours to pick her up.

They are so down on their luck they take up their pitch 360 days per annum. I feel no obligation to help, especially the guy outside the Mercadona in Baza.

Had a program on TV last night
Beggars over here in UK are organised says police, one guy on the TV was making over 50 grand per year and had a nice house. 4 of the 5 they talked to,had a home of some kind.
Makes you think though,
I am one of those softys, plus it makes me feel good if I've helped.

I imagine that most are having a bad time, don't tar them all with the same brush

Col