We all know that we must learn to mind our own business and not meddle in the life of others. However, there is a saying that if you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem. Hence what would you do if you knew that someone was the source of a something vile? This lady saw this pregnant lady who took her attention because of a suspicious behavior. What she went on to uncover was something that even alerted the news and media...
This was a confusing experience for the woman who was facing so much. She was there, not stirring a bit waiting completely stunned. Her head was trying to wrap around what just took place. She was scratching her brain to hopefully get a meaning and reason behind it all. She was naive and unaware for too long! She was putting all her attention on the beggar who had just jumped in a mysterious car...
The beggar who had just entered the car was, to say the least, acting suspicious and very mysterious. She made up her mind and had vowed to uncover the secret that this lady beggar was keeping. She had stayed silent and patient for too long now. As she started to do her own investigation. the woman would soon realize the number of lies she had been fed all this time...
Well, who is this woman who was lurking behind the suspicious beggar? Melissa Smith lives in San Diego, California. She was actually doing her usual activities, going about her usual errands but by chance spotted the panhandler once more. On this particular day, Melissa had a feeling that there was something weird, so she decided to trust her gut and follow the mystery person.
She was carefully observing the beggar from a distance to learn more about what she was trying to do. It was quite intriguing because the person was acting very secretive, pumping Melissa's interest even more. She could see that the beggar and a little boy leaving when she took a closer look. Then what she was was something that made her frantically look for her phone.
And it was also quite strange where all this took place. It was actually happening at the center of a shopping plaza. The beggar had actually saved a spot at the center of East Lake Village Center. This was a very public place to be acting so suspicious so Melissa became even more intrigued. This center was one that had stores that varied from restaurants, goodwill, hair stylists, dentists to retail.
This scenario was something akin to a movie plot because the beggar was not even an ordinary woman, she was actually carrying a child. The pregnant woman was sure that the place where she was doing her activities would be crawling with folks who would not mind sparing a little bit of cash. But her plan had a loophole. She was not expecting someone like Smith to take notice.
We all know that California is a place where people of all kinds can be found. So there are so many beggars and homeless people. However, there are so many imposters who pretend to be in need of others' aid can also be found in abundance. Smith had always taken notice of this woman because she had seen her quite a couple of times. Something about her had always made her feel that something was off.
The pregnant lady could always be seen in and around the shopping center whenever Melissa Smith went to do her weekly errands. This was enough for her to feel that the pregnant beggar was someone who was keeping a huge secret. "I felt bad. There's a pregnant lady with a little boy who is down on her luck," Smith later revealed. She had no idea that her inking would prove to be right somehow...
Whenever she saw the pregnant lady, she would always be standing under the scorching sunshine for a long while. She would often be alone or sometimes stay like that with her son. Smith had even seen them standing there with the boy's father on the side some days too. They were quite known in the area they stayed in because we all know how rare it is to spot a pregnant beggar anywhere.
Anyone would have a soft spot for a beggar, let alone a pregnant beggar right? To see this lady out in the sun had managed to tug on the heartstrings of a few people indeed. Since this was an odd sight, some people started to give them even more than what they would usually give. So why would Smith be so curious that she assumed that the pregnant lady was hiding something from everyone?
Even though she had seen this particular beggar several times in the past, Smith did not notice anything weird about her before. She had not seen any questionable behavior from the beggar before that day happened. For about two months she had seen the expecting lady begging in the same area. Smith assumed that she must have been in a deep financial crisis...
Just imagine the whole situation. There was a pregnant woman who was standing under the scorching sun for a long period of time. Just imagine having to hear the ruthless summer heat and the stress of the child staying in the womb for the pregnant woman. It would be easy for anyone to feel bad for the beggar. But when Smith saw this, she had to make sure the beggar was for real...
There was one thing that was very clear from what Smith had observed. The pregnant woman had truly mastered the art of begging. She was certain that the majority of the people who were driving by or walking around the shopping center would have pity on her. She carried with her, a sign written "Please Help" on it. She also made use of the little boy beside her to gain pity points too.
And indeed the people who were passing through the shopping center felt pitiful for the lady and would proceed to take out their wallets. Since she could always be seen there, Smith thought that it would not take long for her to be found out. She then set her goals on trying to find out what this pregnant beggar was all about. She would soon get more information than she bargained for.
Smith was living nearby the shopping center but that day she went during the time she would not normally go out like other days. She had to go to the shopping center due to some unforeseen circumstances. She normally went during an hour before mid-morning. As she made her way back home, she discovered that her car was grinning low on gas. So she had to stop.
And when she took notice of the fact that the car had very less gas, Smith knew she had to hurry and get some gas. She spotted a gas station opposite the East Lake Village Center. So Smith quickly pulled over and began to fill her tank there. Then it was there that she spotted something off that triggered her to hold her own investigation by herself.
So while Smith was there at the station pumping gas into her car, she saw the beggar who was on the move too. This was nothing to be alarmed about because she had been standing there for a long time. She obviously needs to take some rest. As Smith took some time to observe the pregnant beggar, she saw that there was a car that was driving towards the beggar...
When she saw this car approaching the lady carrying the child, Smith did not expect that anything odd would happen still. And so, after seeing that the car was getting close to the lady, Smith became more interested. Her curiosity piqued and so she kept an eye on the car and the well-known beggar from nearby. What she saw next was something that proved her theory all along...
And upon seeing what was unfolding right in front of her, Smith could not believe her eyes. What she was witnessing was something questionable. She was awestruck to learn that the driver who came with the car was actually the son's father. To make things even more puzzling, Smith saw that the car was not an ordinary car but a Mercedes Benz. We may all know how costly this car is.
So there were so many questions swirling around Melissa Smith's head upon seeing such a confusing sight. How can the son of the beggar's father be driving such a luxurious car? She was busy in the shopping complex begging for money while her son's dad can drive an expensive vehicle? This was indeed a puzzling sight for Smith to take in. Her next move ended up making headlines all over...
"They were leaving, and I noticed they went into a Mercedes Benz. I thought, 'Wow, a Mercedes Benz?'" explained Smith, who also added that the car looked new. She proceeded onto trailing them behind. She then whipped her phone out as she drove next to the Mercedes car. "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 all the way in the front seat with them," Smith recorded. She wanted to uncover the truth as soon as possible.
Then the couple went to the next shopping center as if they had planned everything out. The pregnant lady then went on to fool some more people once again. "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," Smith revealed. She had caught them red-handed but was not aware that it would soon involve the police and unravel something even darker.
As Smith went closer to the beggar and her boy, she managed to click some pictures. The pregnant lady spotted Smith and became ferocious, picking up a stone that held up her 'Help Me' sign. "Next thing I know, she picked up this big boulder," Smith added, "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." A bystander saw everything and when the lady saw this, she took off with her son...
Smith made use of social media and also informed a local police station about what took place. Smith was determined to let everyone know that this was actually a master beggars' plan, to warn everyone about them. The news station ran the plate of the photo Smith had taken, getting curious by the story as well. It turned out that the car was under the name of a woman whose address was not disclosed. Others had also taken notice of the pregnant beggar too...
Even the news and media people found this story. The apartment complex where this lady stayed in was called Encinitas Heights Apartments where the rent per month was allegedly $2,500. No one came to the door to answer the doorbell but then a phone call came in. The couple living there had recently moved in but the last couple left only a few days back...
The mystery pregnant beggar's story was something that had been broadcasted for everyone to be able to see. The news and even Smith were both documenting everything that happened. "I feel bad. Don't give these people money. They don't need it. They're driving a Benz," Smith exclaimed. A journalist took charge and did something while everyone else was busy with their anger and outrage.
It was not only Melissa Smith that had taken notice of the lady beggar who was fooling everyone. Some other witness was also aware of the panhandler's routines. Rebecca was busy shopping and running errands when she saw the beggar whom she had spotted at another shopping center. She made a call to the broadcasters to give them her tip. Soon Emily Valdez came to the center.
Valdez had been informed that the mystery woman was in the area but was not sure which shopping center she would be in. However, she was left quite confused when she went to the site she had been informed to go to. Was this beggar not pregnant? Only two days after Smith's photos made the rounds, the lady who was begging in the area was already holding a baby.
The news crew then went near the woman. “Is this you, begging?” Valdez inquired when she stood next tot he woman who was supposedly the pregnant beggar. The woman then took a look at the photo and told Valdez that she did not speak English. Was she finally caught? She was holding a baby and the boy was standing right next to him. He was also in the photos. Then, the father soon arrived.
He did not interact with the crew and took his family away from the parking lot. The camera crew recorded as they all entered a minivan with dealer plates. There was yet another plan that was swung in motion. They ran facial recognition on the two women and the result was an 80% match. But there was another thing that made Valdez sure that there was another thing to the whole story.
The guy was initially speaking in Spanish but soon spoke to the panhandler in another language. He did not realize that this small mistake would blow everything up on their faces. He had made a huge mistake. Valdez replayed this clip and then listened carefully to everything that he was saying. This would soon give way for the police to uncover everything...
Leslie Albright was carefully examining the clip that Valdez and her camera crew had taken of the mysterious family. She was a detective at the San Diego Police Department who had recently retired. She had served 25 years and specialized in underground crime rings. Something about this family made her quite confused and she could tell that they were no ordinary panhandlers.
The woman ]who managed to enrage everyone with her fake begging was about to be exposed. However, there was something more to her story. The story indicated a very huge problem that was growing in this community. Underneath California's alleged alluring surface, there was something sinister brewing underneath. One Redditor began to take charge and uncover this deep secret.
Leslie had been dealing with hundreds of crimes her whole career. But what this man said was something she had never been faced with. She could identify the language from what Valdez's camera crew had managed to record straight away. All the puzzle pieces were coming together perfectly. So what was this couple hiding from the rest of the world?
Albright claims that the couple was a part of a crime ring based in California. These people take part in crimes on a daily basis, tricking and cheating various people. These people actually live in expensive apartments and would live off the sympathy of unsuspecting victims. Her pregnancy was just a ploy to earn people's pity and money. But there was yet another thing that ended up being exposed.
The tactic that these people have used is, to move around so that authorities can never pinpoint their whereabouts. When they realize that someone notices them, they make a move right away. This was the same case for this couple when they sensed something off. A man placed himself under threat when he went ahead and exposed the couple.
A man from Reddit went on the site and revealed "...I had a friend of a friend tell me that they knew them and that they're just a hustling pair of Con Artists who's families conned their way into the country." This guy was an acquaintance of the lady and revealed that she had been involved with the crime ring against her own will. He then deleted his account out of fear of being identified.
The woman was actually using a foam under her shirt to fake a pregnant belly. It was revealed that she could collect up to $500 per day. Women like her can be found all over the country. It appears that they are promised food and shelter in return for their services. There are many like her who fall in the traps of these rings. This was not all that the story entails.
"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," Albright explained to interviewers. The Reddit user explained, "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 are reporting the money they're making from her begging and both are claiming poverty to get state and federal assistance." He was threatened and also received calls...
"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 unidentified Redditer also suggested. It made people living in California aware and cautious about the crime rings in the area after this news went viral.