Lang
11/1/23
Cedar Rapids Police are warning the public about a panhandling scam being perpetrated in the Corridor.
The panhandlers hold signs indicating they are trying to raise money for a child’s funeral. Police say there is no dead child, and the panhandlers are scammers.
The panhandlers in question have been reported mostly in Cedar Rapids, but they have also been spotted in recent days at the corner of Highway 6 and Hayden Fry Way in Coralville and at the Waterfront Hy-Vee in Iowa City.
Denine Rushing of the Willis Dady homeless shelter in Cedar Rapids, told KCRG TV-9 that most panhandlers in general are not actually homeless, and they are not the people who seek help from social service organizations.
Cedar Rapids Police told the television station that unless the panhandlers are impersonating a group or breaking pedestrian traffic laws, what they are doing is not technically illegal.
Advocates for the homeless suggest donating to a reputable social services organization instead of giving money to panhandlers.