Well dressed beggars in casinos. Old or new Scam?

I was at the Palazzo on Tuesday evening (Jan 18th) playing pennies with my wife when I was approached by nicely dressed female, about 40, with a small rolling suitcase. She started speaking to me in Spanish and since I am bi-lingual, she related that she had just been in Vegas for three weeks, had been staying with an uncle who kicked her and her family out, and was "looking to rent an inexpensive room" and was wondering if I had any money I could spare to help her out. I said sorry and sent her away. This was not a "hooker come on" (I've had those before) but the strange thing is that my brother was playing at Harrahs that same night and a well dressed anglo female, about the same age hit him up with the same basic story. Both of these were not "hooker type", they were more the "middle class housewife type." Has anybody else been hit up this way? I should have alerted security but I highly doubt they would care. Obviously it is just a "will work for food" scame with props, but does anybody have any other takes on this?

Not all scammers look like street people. Normal looking people will hit you up for gas money, bus fare... They have all kinds of stories. They're probably part of some gang.

Late last year I was in Oakland on a business trip and getting gas in my car. I was approached by a lady for money. I gave her a dollar. She then gave me a sob story about how her gas was low and asked if I could fill up the can she was carrying. I told her that I couldn't. As I was pulling out of the gas station there was a new, black Escalade in front of me. The car didn't have license plates yet. I all of a sudden realized it was the panhandler. Some people have no shame.

I'm guessing that the Pallazo does not want people panhandling inside their casino.

The only time I have ever been panhandled inside a casino was at MGM a couple of years ago. A man, maybe 45 years old, comes up and tells me he is $3 short of getting himself a buffet, and could I help him out? He got pissed and stormed off when I told him all my cash was currently in the machine. But I couldn't help but think what a stupid story he had for his scam. Because if you were hungry and had cost of buffet - $3, you could surely find something to eat with the money you do have.

"My wife's father is dying and we ran out of gas on the way to the bus station so she can get to him before he passes away."

"Our car broke down on the way to my new job which starts Monday. I'm short five dollars to pay the mechanic and get my car back."

These guys are everywhere!

You'd be surprised how often "I'm three dollars short for a sex change operation" works..if you're nicely cross dressed...

I would definitely have called security immediately. I know for a fact that the Palazzo & Venetian deal with panhandlers by promptly removing them from the property. Most other properties will do so as well, with only a few exceptions that I can think of. The casinos are very aware of how disturbing it is for customers to be panhandled whle playing inside their properties. When someone who is asking you for money is looking directly at your machine balance or your chip stack it can be annoying, and uncomfortable, to have to deal with. As a customer you have a right to expect not to be harassed on the casino property.

Except for them time share hawkers.

Along the Pearblossom highway near Victorville on the way home from Vegas there is a guy in his early 30s or late 20s, unwashed, disshevelled, in relatively bad shape outside the McDonalds. As we walked in about 10pm he asks for some money to get something to eat.

I look at my wife and then at him and ask, "what would you like?"
"A burger, anything, thank you."

I got him a large meal... soda, two burgers, fries... and gave him the bag and soda.

There were tears in his eyes.

He ran around the corner to his broken down car, and as we pulled out we saw him eating as if it was the first food he had in weeks.

When I was in a McDonalds in China an older guy comes in wearing a trench-coat begging for money. If you don't give him anything, he opens his trench-coat to show you that he has no hands.

Some people survive off the charity of others and some take advantage of the charity of people.