The milk and rice scam

adriletayf

Hi, I'm new in this site and I find it very helpful especially now that I'm in India and heading north tomorrow. I've just been in Mumbai for 10 days and I loved the city but there was something that really made me angry and it was that the first day I arrived I was walking in colaba and I was caught by a woman with a baby on the back she put a flower thing in my hand and said she wanted no money at all, which I didn't believe, but I thought I would give her few rupees for the baby, then she said all she wanted was milk for the baby and I fell for that so she took me to a store where I spent 800 rs for milk and rice for her and her sister's baby, then I was told by 3 different persons that that is a complete scam!!, it's an organized bussines, where the milk and the rice for "the baby" are taken to the store again and sold it back to the owner for a half or less than it's actual cost, which is also a great bussines for the store owners. and yes if you walk in colaba early in the morning you can see all this people together in groups making the flower bracelletes each of them has certain amount which have to finish by the end of the day, when you see them together again counting the money... i know this might not be new for most of you, and I must sound like very naive, but what really makes me angry is that some things are sacred... you just CAN'T play or make a bussines out of people's feelings or compassion for others...THAT'S SACRED!!... the money doesn't really bother me, maybe just because I'd rather have given it to someone that genuinely need it. I certainly wont let this take my ability to give, because is a part of me, but this opened my eyes, so now if I want to help, I do to people that doesn't ask for it but I know they need it, or even animals, like in mumbai there are thousands of street dogs, and some of them are very sick so I met an indian girl who does volunteering curing dogs, so we got together for 5 days and I gave my 100 % and that was so fulfilling because none cares about them, and you can see in their eyes who much they suffer.

Well, I just needed to take this out of my sistem!!

Thanx

rab

Sorry to say this is not the first report of this type of scam. The last time I read about this on here was in Shimla I think.

I'll see if I can dig out and link that post.

Merchant

People do have to survive somehow. It may be a "scam" to you but it earns money and it's perfectly legal.

Indojingai

Thats where people are at their weakest guard and hence most chances for the stealer for taking someones money in dishonest ways... for any type of purchase 100 Rs is a water mark for caution, 500 Rs... is even higher and 1000 Rs is the limits...

There is a list of generic stuff one may need in India travel on this forum .. dig it out.

Keep going with your plans. Great travels!

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AvidTrekker

Now at least you know.

Beggary is an organized racket in Mumbai with its own mafia. Chidren are kidnapped from rural India, subsequently maimed on purpose. Then taught begging professionally. Very young children [less than a year] are borrowed from their poor mothers and are taken on rent by beggar women for around 50 rs per day. These children are fed diluted opium so they will sleep for the whole day. The cop on the beat takes his cut which goes all the way to the top. The Haji Ali signal beggars' clique pays rs 150,000 to rs 250,000 per month to the cops. [i stay nearby] This is shared at all levels. The lokhandwala signal is another high revenue area for cops. Similar rates.

On average, a beggar in Mumbai makes around rs 5000 per month. More than people who work their butt off doing manual labour.

But then as Merchant says:

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redthreadzen

Throughout your stay in beutiful india you will be constantly besieged by those in need. how to reconcile this, knowing that you are probably being scamed. If you have to and I would encourage you to make some, buy your begger friends a meal at a dhabba or at leasta cup of chai, although there mafia bosses will not necessarilly be happy with this a meal and a little time is a nice reprieve from the daily begging routine. most of all practice as much patience as you can and always try to give beggers eye contact, a genuine smile and a bit of a laugh. after all its there way of life and a smile is worth a lot when life is pretty miserable.

Hindi - ofsos = sorry
nai- no, Im sure you know this one already
ap - you
channa = want say - cahana
dhabba - street food stall
kuna = food or chai.

Good luck and enjoy

redthreadzen

fixing my very important missed word from the last post - sorry.

redthreadzen@yahoo.com - pop me on you group mail list if you like.

thirdreel

If you exert your energy feeling outraged about this, travel in India will completely exhaust you. Yes, they're manipulating you and playing off your sympathies. Yes, they are being dishonest about what they need. But they'll keep doing it because it's profitable. If they make two US dollars a day doing it, they're making considerably more than Indian minimum wage. You can't escape it, and it's hard to be too judgmental about it, because poverty is such a real thing.

I did my best to keep my head when I was there and keep from getting scammed. In retrospect, I wish I'd been a little less stingy. They may be dishonest, may be attached to a begging syndicate, may be living a lot more comfortably than they let on, but many of them still need the money more than I do.

camelgirl

This is a good place to get things off your chest! and you seem like you have not been put off your India experience by it. I have not heard of this scam but I'm not surprised. Unfortunately, most of us are inclined to stay in the tourists areas that attract the worst scams, but eventually I think we get smarter about it. And your idea of helping with a group like those that help street dogs is a fantastic way to be helpful. Well done!! Travelers have been doing good works in India for years, like volunteering to play with orphans at Mother Theresa's orphanage in Kolkota, where the kids need extra attention. There's always something good to do to be helpful and not get ripped off. Also, the idea of getting someone a meal is always good.

crvlvr

seems better than being mugged at gunpoint.

davey

[IMG]IMcolaba[/IMG]If this works heres a picture of one of the young scammers, really bright girl spoke several languages (partially) reaslly well presented she took us to the cathedral as showed us around then asked for some cooking oil and rice fore her family so I offerred her 100IR of course she complaied saying we had to go to the shop with her and buy the stuff, we refused and said take to 100IR or see you later....she took the money and off she went

Merchant

At the very least, you can take bemused satisfaction at having stepped into the pages of "Oliver Twist" and been fleeced by an Artful Dodger.

lotus blossom

scams are prolific in a country with such rampant poverty. they see us as wealthy kings, even though many of us travel on next to nothing.

i nearly got pulled into the milk scam myself. upon offering to buy the small begging barefoot boy a glass of fresh milk from a stall, my offer was met with dissatisfaction as he pulled me into a shop and pounced a large box of milk on the counter while three merchants looked at me waiting to see if i'd go for it. i'm happy to feed their bellies but not their scams. many of them do make loads of $$ doing it, something that i do not want to support, especially when they are maiming and drugging innocent children to do it.

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davey

This should work, youn tout in Colaba

Nick-H

What?

Even in UK 10GBP would buy quite a lot of rice and milk! Here milk is 7 or 8 IRS for 500ml and rice ---I forget, Rs10? I buy expensive basmati rice for >100

And, next time, you could give a little lecture on how breast feeding is best!

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