We went to the same restaurant two weeks later, and the same guy was there doing the same routine. I told him he already got us and said he’d better leave. He did. Fucker.

That is what it seems like you are dealing with here. People who use their abilities in quick talking and street knowledge to get what they need to survive.

I have seen the classic homeless beggar going to school in the city as well. The difference is pretty simple really. A normal homeless person rarely speaks more than a few words if any at all. They normally are in much rougher shape and can show signs of mental/physical illness or substance abuses.

A hustler will pray on the average person’s stereotype of this and use it to blend in while using their at times above average intelligence to game the system.

When looked at from a far it seems silly and there wouldn’t really be much of a living in basically tricking people into giving you free money but these guys rarely are working one angle and often times will work in small teams. Street performers, beggars, pickpockets, and at times straight up thieves can all be working together, pooling resources and watching each others back. The concept of a thieves guild is based in true, though rarely as romanticized as in books and movies.

I am not sure of i would classify it as social engineering, though they do employ those skills, but more hustling. It’s actually been around for centuries and is a fun little subculture to look into. Lot of superstitions, cultural icons, and even the idea of fortune tellers, magic, and escape artists all were born of poor people using their skills to survive by getting saps to release their cash.

Beleazieve neazotheazing uneazless yeazou keaznow iteaz teazrue.