Panhandling In Almaty

PANHANDLING IN ALMATY Used to think I was street smart till a couple of years ago Touring in Almaty*, strolling the street, looking western, you know. Young guy comes up to me and shows me a large bill and asks for small change. Foreign language….who knew? I got out all my coins and offered to exchange: He took them all politely. He walked slowly to another tourist and then Politely did exactly the same thing again. I’d never seen this con, asking for small change - misleadingly simple ruse - But not in exchange for his large bill : gambling that tourists he would confuse. I reckoned his income was greater than mine, maybe 50 000 bucks a year. Panhandling in Almaty makes a profit big and clear. ……………………………………………………………………………………………… *Almaty is the largest city in Kazakhstan. The city was formerly called Alma Ata, and it used to be the Kazakh capital.