Beware Of 'Aggressive Panhandlers' Across Rhode Island: Police

WEST WARWICK, RI — Beware of a group that has been "aggressively panhandling" at street intersections throughout Rhode Island, using photos of sick children as a ploy, the West Warwick Police Department said in a statement shared on Facebook Wednesday.

The group, from Romania via Texas, displays the photos on a piece of cardboard and claims that they are either collecting money for the child's cancer treatment or that the child died and they are paying for burial expenses, according to police.

The cardboard also contains an image of Cash App—used for virtual money transfers—with text stating the cash will go to the child. However, police said they have determined that the group members are only collecting money to put into their own bank accounts.

Typically, the group will only panhandle in a particular location for a day or two before moving on to another location, according to police.

"They are taking advantage of the goodness in people, and we want the public to be aware of this group and what they are actually about," police wrote.