Cyberbegging: Panhandling Goes Online

A lot of times when I go to the grocery store there's a panhandler in the parking lot with the familiar "no gas and my car's down the street" story. Strolling through the internet is no different. A new generation of e-panhandlers is trying to cash in by posting its tales of woe online. A few years ago cyberbegging was seen as not much more than a gimmick to make a quick buck. Now panhandling scams online are much more prevalent.

Steve Donahue, webmaster of SaveMeSites.com, says he set his site up in response to pay sites which he believes are scams. "I don't think it works any more," he said in a recent article. That doesn't stop people from asking, according to Donahue. The sheer volume of cyberbegging requests is overwhelming, according to the article.

People are on the verge of losing their electricity, their cars, homes, health. Their stories are so sad sometimes you can't even read them, according to records. "Now I can't pay my electric bill because of dental bills," says one. Of course, some of the most heartbreaking cyberbegging requests are also the most suspicious like the guy who started out asking to borrow jumper cables then proceeded to spin his long, complicated tale of finances.

"I'm just trying to get to school," he claimed. "I figure about ten percent are made up," Donahue said. There are scams all over the Internet and cyberbegging has gotten serious. Convenience computes with desperation in the 21st century. These people want a little sympathy, please.

Consider the Amazon wish list. Then there's Buster and other online acts. A fat cuddly cat stares out at you from Save Buster's home page, savebuster.com. "Hi, I'm Buster," it says under his picture. "Why do I need money? I can't get a job." You have to scroll down to the bottom before you figure out the joke: This isn't for Buster. The fact is it's not enough to just ask any more according to one writer.

The spirit, however, is the same. Look at Christine Kent. Kent, Buster's owner, is on the board of directors at the San Francisco-based Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS), a group that helps people with serious, chronic, and life-threatening illnesses keep the pets that give them comfort and companionship. "It's sad to say a simple tale of woe will not cut it," she said. "One of my responsibilities was to raise money for PAWS."

Then a friend helped her out. "Somebody said - - for a joke - - 'Hey, you could have your cat beg for money since everybody else is begging for money," Kent says. She put up the site about three years ago. "The cat's getting older and he's not as funny as he used to be," said Kent. You never know what people are going to ask for online according to Alyson Ward. Forget spare change. Here's a serious one - brandonnoble.com.

There's a PayPal link for donations and a link to an Amazon.com wish list for a four-year-old boy with autism, health problems, and brain development delays. "My hits have taken off but the donations come in a dollar at a time and after Paypal fees it's not so good," Kelly Noble, Brandon's mom said in a recent interview.

Brandon's parents say they try to spread the word about their site, emailing friends and asking for Web sites to put up links to brandonnoble.com. "As a parent you can never give up hope you will be able to take care of your child," Kelly said. "But he just has so many needs."