In other places you might see signs that say things like: Do not feed the birds, do not feed the pigeons, do not feed the animals at the zoo. But You may have noticed something in Cluj. Signs that say no giving cash to those who beg.
Yet, despite these, beggars from all over the country come to Cluj to do their business. The problem we have is not with those in need, but those we call “false beggars.” In Romanian, the phrase is “Cerșetorii falși.” It is not people pretending to be beggars, but people begging who are pretending to have problems that they don’t. They are asking you for money under false pretenses.
This is not just a Cluj problem. Begging is large in Europe, with beggars a fairly common sight in the metros of Brussels and Madrid. (For some reason, fewer beggars tend to take the bus.)
However, the beggars in Transylvania are more aggressive than in most of Europe. Some will follow you down the street. It does seem that perhaps the problem is even worse in somewhere else, Moldova.
If we watch a recent news report from Moldovan television, it is not illegal there to beg. But it is illegal to beg under false pretenses. There are men who, when arrested, suddenly reveal that they do not need those wheelchairs they were sitting on.
Getting arrested does not stop the false beggars. Some are arrested three to five times a year.
How do you know which ones are genuine and which are fake? “Preface” to fake. “Sunt unice care să prefac.” There are some who fake it.
Well, you can look at them. Do they look healthy? Most of the jobs I’ve done could be done in a wheelchair.
Other videos I saw include fake severed hands, and make up that could win a small academy award. However, I haven’t seen much of that in Cluj.
But they don’t only pretend to be disabled. They also pretend to collect money for false causes, or to collect money for sick relatives. We’ve seen that in Cluj, sometimes we’ve been approached in the supermarket by people pretending to collect money for the deaf.
Ask for the website or bank number. You can look up the charity, and its CIF, and donate yourself. You can even donate while doing your taxes.
If you like learning Romanian, one of our favorite charities is Dex online. It keeps the latest updates on the Romanian language, so you know how to conjugate a word.
https://dexonline.ro/doneaza
There are other charities. Another thing some foreigners do, is carry charity cards, business cards with numbers or contact details of charities. That way, a beggar who might really be in need knows who to turn to.
It is illegal to beg under false pretenses. That is a form of fraud. As cases rise, the punishments are likely to get stiffer.