We have all seen those poor people with signs at intersections. “Hungry. Please Help. God Bless.” or “Will work for food.” It is sad and a reasonable and decent person feels bad for them, but also understands that there is nothing that he can do for them directly. Supporting worthy charities that help homeless people to get their lives back on track is a better way of helping these people. Just giving them a few bucks won’t solve anything in the long term. Although if the guy is really starving, it is not a bad idea to help. But then again, some of those people don’t need help. Some aren’t homeless at all. They live in apartments or even houses. This is their job or second job and they do quite well at it.

If you are thinking about pretending to be a homeless person to make money, you have to do a few things to prepare. First, Change your appearance. You can find materials to create a fake beard from most costume shops. Cover your face with dirt or something. Wear a hat and cheap sunglasses. You don’t want your neighbors or boss to recognize you.

Second, think about doing it in a nearby city, not your home town. If you do this, check and see what the local laws are for panhandling and how they are enforced. You don’t want your boss or neighbors to find out that you got arrested for panhandling. Park your car in a secluded place, at least half-a-mile from your intersection.

Third, don’t stay at the same intersection for more than a few weeks. Move around. You don’t want to become a fixture and have some local enterprising news crew try to do a story on you.

Fourth, make a pathetic looking sign and maybe bring along a dog with you. Even people who see you as a lazy bum will feel bad for the dog. But don’t claim to be a veteran if you aren’t. The last thing you need is to be approached by another veteran who asks you all sorts of questions that you don’t know the answer to and then tries to expose you.

Fifth, as with any cash business, again look at what state and local laws allow you to do to protect yourself. If you do get robbed, do you need to go to the police? They are going to take a report and your statements are going to be part of the public record. You may well be exposed.

There are obvious advantages to this plan and obvious risks as well. Putting those aside, is this right? Well, no force is being used, but you are engaging in dishonest behavior. The money that you took from someone, who thought he was giving to a homeless person, might have actually gone to the next homeless person he saw. So, you are in fact, albeit indirectly, stealing from homeless people. What you are doing is also immoral because you are taking money that the person might have otherwise spent on a good or service that might have been useful to him. People who create goods or provide services that are useful or pleasurable deserve to be financially rewarded. But what good are you creating out there with your lying sign? You are nothing better than a parasite when you pretend to be a homeless person to get money.

So because it is morally objectionable and also carries a decent risk of exposure and ridicule, I would strongly advise against this money-making opportunity.