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It's more like a guy who has been living in a $400 rent controlled 2BD apartment on Fell since 1991. He charges his roommate $800 a month, then goes and scams people on Haight for pizza money, but mainly just for kicks.

Yes, there was a case in Toronto where a TV crew followed a successful beggar back to her car and then to her house. http://www.torontosun.com/2013/02/14/infamous-sticker-lady-m...

Panhandlers and the homeless are two totally different things. Of course one doesnt have to be homeless to panhandle.

By scamming, the parent poster was probably referring to stuff like "hey can I get a few bucks for a bus ticket" or "hey can I get some money for gas". That's pretty much always a scam.