A netizen gave $4 to a woman who was begging in a shopping mall to buy food and the next moment, the woman was seen in an expensive cafe, buying coffee and cake worth $8.50.
According to Zaobao, the woman who was begging explained that she was begging because she had no money to eat. She added that there was nothing wrong with going to a cafe to spend money and that she was not deceiving anyone.
The netizen who shared the encounter said that the woman was begging for money at the Junction 8 shopping mall in Bishan on Monday (15 January).
In the post, the netizen said: “She asked for $4 to buy food and I thought she looked pitiful, so I gave her the money. But who would expect that she would immediately walk into The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf nearby to buy drinks and a cake that cost $8.50?”
The netizen added that another person also shared that this woman was seen begging other people as well.
“I know I can’t blame her completely. After all, we gave the money to her willingly. But I hope to remind others not to be deceived by her pitiful appearance,” the netizen added.
A reporter visited the shopping mall on Tuesday (16 January) and saw the woman in a clothing store located at the entrance of the mall. When the woman walked out of the store, she asked to borrow the reporter’s mobile phone to call a friend because her mobile phone was charging at home.
The 66-year-old woman, who did not want to be named, later admitted that she had been begging in the mall since last year. She revealed that she had worked as a receptionist before, but had been out of work in recent years.
“I didn’t have money for lunch, so I begged passersby, hoping they would give me money to eat. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with going to a cafe to eat, and I didn’t deceive anyone,” she added.
She said she finally had enough money to eat at a cafe on Monday afternoon after begging from several people. “As I was eating, a woman kept looking at me and later scolded me for cheating others of their money,” she said.
The woman added that after this incident, she had decided not to beg anymore.
