Online begging poses problem for charities
By Raymond Zhou and Wang Zhuoqiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-12-31 07:03

Begging has gone high-tech with the advent of the Internet, but does this mean easier help for the needy, or richer pickings for the scamsters?

Early November, a begging website claiming to be China's first opened for business. With the address www.somebody.com.cn, the "Sanbang Beggars Net" posted three photos on its homepage: The first one featured an elderly beggar, the second a child kneeling on the street, and the third a handicapped person.

Below the photos was a poem that contrasted skyrocketing house prices with the misery of shivering in the cold wind.

The site was operated by Liu Feng, who said he was a businessman in the IT industry.

The site accepted three kinds of donations, all in cash through an online payment scheme: The smallest denomination was 0.5 yuan (6 US cents), the next level 1 yuan (12 US cents), and the highest, the "big boss category," 10 yuan (US$1.23).

If each netizen chips in 1 yuan, he would become a billionaire, Liu reasoned. But by the 46th day, December 24, when the site was shut down, he had collected just 220.95 yuan (US$27.3).

Liu said he did not do anything wrong and the site was properly registered. A reporter from Guangzhou Daily confirmed that Liu had forwarded the sum to the Hope Project helping school dropouts in rural areas.

But many are suspicious of his motive. Some commented that, though he has his own business, he is not yet a member of the middle classes, as he has to put up with a rental unit for residence and public transport. Liu himself admitted that he set up the website "more for the fun than making money."

"The rampant cynicism in this brouhaha is a sign of the ever decreasing trust in our society," said Tian Xiangdong, a sociologist at Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences.

"Our philanthropic system is controlled by the government, but many tend to doubt its efficiency or reputability because they are kept in the dark as to how the money is spent," he said. "We also lack organizations at the grassroots that can link donors with recipients."

"If someone can galvanize the public to hand out small change to worthy causes, he will fill a void and should be commended," Tian told China Daily.

But he cautioned that an NGO, no matter how small, must build trust before it can convince donors to loosen their purse strings. And that's the grey area where deception is rife.

"In the physical world, many of those who look like beggars are actually crooks. In the virtual realm of the Internet, fraud is much easier," said Xia Xueluan, a professor of sociology at Peking University.

Xia discourages people from giving money to online paupers. "They use tear-jerking images to touch your hearts, but they themselves are not really destitute," he said.

If you want to help the poor, donate to a reputable charity, he suggested.

So it all comes down to where your money and hearts truly end up. As Tian said, many people would not hesitate to open their wallets if they knew or better, could check that their donation would really help those who need it.

(China Daily 12/31/2005 page1)