Professional "beggar" in retirement: an elderly scammer who has been asking for gas money for decades was caught on the Cherkasy highway

Professional "beggar" in retirement: an elderly scammer who has been asking for gas money for decades was caught on the Cherkasy highway

In Cherkasy near the turn to Uman, a grandfather is «working» with his old car, which is as aged as he is himself. Unlike another old man who recently became famous on the internet as an IDP from Chernihiv region, this «Cherkasy» one is a local resident, and moreover — among his fellow villagers known as a former card sharp and professional «kat ala»-billiards player from the 1990s. On the highway, he looks for sympathetic drivers, for each of whom he has prepared a separate story: to some he poses as an IDP, to others he says that he just left the hospital and needs money for fuel.

About the clever and inventive grandfather-scammer locals tell in a Facebook group.

The old man parks his car on the highway from Cherkasy to Uman — near the roundabout, and also a bit further, near the sharp turn. There is a clever calculation in this: he is not visible from afar, but as soon as the driver turns, he immediately notices the image of a person in trouble and stops to help. Stories about his misfortunes, according to eyewitnesses, the grandfather has different for each «client».

"I’ve known him for fifteen years, or more. Before, he asked for gasoline to get to Kropyvnytskyi, and now he asks for money because he has nothing to buy gasoline with," — writes local resident Mykola Korzhenko in a comment. — "Twenty years ago, I remember, he stood with a ’Zaporozhets’ — said he was coming from the hospital, no money to refuel," — adds Mykola Koval. — "Asks for money for gas, pretends to be an IDP, saying he’s coming from the combat zone without money or relatives. But in fact, he’s local, everything is fine with him," — notes Alyona Alekseyeva.

Some locals also recall the grandfather’s other, turbulent past. In particular, commenter Mykola Piven claims that the old man is a former professional card sharp and billiards cheater. These «trades» were considered honorable in the criminal world of the 1990s, and the grandfather with a «penny» was probably a true master if he’s still remembered for his old antics. The comments also discuss the moral side of the story.

"There’s one downside. Because of people like this grandfather, no one will help a person who really needs help," — writes Vasyl Korniichuk in a comment. — "Once he stopped us near Zhashkiv. We thought his car broke down — but he started asking for money. We offered him cookies and sweet water — but he said he needed money. Shady old man," — characterizes him Nadiya Muzyka.

There are also defenders of the trickster. Larysa Deydish in a comment notes that the very fact that an elderly person is forced to beg for money on the highway does not make them a scammer or fraudster. Others add: the grandfather doesn’t pick anyone’s pockets, everything happens with the voluntary consent of the «patrons». And too low pensions in Ukraine — this is a trouble that affects 99% of state benefit recipients.