Woman Sees Pregnant Beggar Get into an Expensive Car and Decides to Follow Her

A San Diego woman reported that she was shocked to see a pregnant beggar get into a Mercedes Benz. Curious, she decided to follow the car, not knowing where she would end up.

Has someone ever scammed you out of money? People get devastated after finding out that someone has conned them, and they have to suffer a financial loss. Depending on the type of scam, one can lose a few bucks to millions of dollars.

The primary motivation of a scammer is money. These people will do anything to get their hands on their victims' money without caring about the consequences. A woman once witnessed a scam when she saw a panhandler get into an expensive car.

THE PREGNANT PANHANDLER

In 2014, a pregnant panhandler was spotted with a child standing outside a shopping mall in San Diego, California. People passing by would give her some change after reading "please help" on the cardboard sign she held.

Since the woman standing outside the Eastlake Village Center was pregnant, people were inclined to help her. They felt for her and gave her whatever cash they could. A passerby, Melissa Smith, told KGTV:

"I felt bad. There's a pregnant lady with a little boy who is down on her luck."

THE EYEWITNESS

Melissa shared that the panhandler and the child stood outside the mall on weekends, and they were joined by the boy's father sometimes.

Everything seemed fine to Smith until, one day, she was at a gas station and noticed the couple standing at their usual spot. As she watched them, her eyes widened when she saw the woman enter a Mercedes Benz. That's when she realized something was not right. Melissa recalled:

"I thought, 'Wow! A Mercedes Benz?'"

THE EXPENSIVE RIDE

Melissa was shocked to see the panhandler and her son get into a $35,000 car, so she followed them. She wanted to know why the woman was begging despite owning an expensive ride. Melissa said:

"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."

After seeing them laugh and count the money, Melissa was fuming. She felt angry, knowing the woman had scammed thousands of shoppers who gave money to her out of kindness. Melissa took photos of the car and the license plate and decided to share them with a local news channel.

ANOTHER MALL

Moments later, Melissa saw the dark-colored Mercedes Benz turn towards Bonita Center, a shopping mall on Bonita Road. She was stunned to see the woman climb out of her car with the child and head towards a corner in the parking lot where shoppers could easily spot her.

While the panhandler stood with a cardboard sign in her hands, Melissa quickly snapped photos of her. A few seconds later, the woman noticed what Melissa was doing. She grabbed a boulder and advanced toward Melissa.

The woman begging had a baby in her arms this time.

Meanwhile, a bystander saw what was happening and immediately called 911. The pregnant panhandler threw the rock aside and fled with her child before the police arrived.

THE LICENSE PLATE NUMBER

Since Melissa had no idea who the woman was or where she lived, she only had her photos to show the police when they arrived at the parking lot. Melissa also shared a photo of the Benz's license plate number.

The license plate number led the police to Encinitas Heights Apartments, where the rent was $2,500 per month. The woman living there was a resident who had just moved in after the previous tenants — a couple — picked up and left.

The authorities couldn't trace the panhandler through the license plate, but another woman called the news when she spotted her.

ANOTHER EYEWITNESS

When Rebecca Smith passed by Vons at University City, she noticed a familiar face that she remembered from the news. She immediately called 10 News and reported seeing the pregnant panhandler who made headlines.

However, the woman begging had a baby in her arms this time. When the 10News correspondent approached her and showed her a photo of her begging, she denied it was her. Moreover, the woman claimed she couldn't speak English.

The news reporter also asked the couple about the Mercedes, to which the man replied, "What Mercedes?" They denied begging outside Eastlake Village Center and sped off in a minivan.

FACIAL RECOGNITION

Soon afterward, 10News gave the panhandler's photos to a facial recognition expert who ran the images through specialized software. The pictures were 80% similar, meaning the panhandler and her partner could have been lying. Rebecca said:

"I just find it sad that people would go to this extreme."

What would you have done if you saw the same woman at another location? Do you think the panhandler and her partner were lying?

Click here to read another story about a woman whose daughter asked not to be dropped at the school entrance because she wanted to meet a man she saw every day.