Woman Dressed As Frum & Speaks Yiddish To Collect Money Admits She’s Not Jewish

A woman who has been posing as a Frum Jewish woman to collect ‘Tzedaka’, has admitted today that she isn’t Jewish. The woman, from Romania, has been collecting in Lakewood for several years at the Shoprite Plaza and elsewhere in town, but she admitted today she’s not Jewish.

A Lakewood resident and local business-owner who has been privately investigating the suspicous behavior, says he first got suspicious when she said she was from New York and would return before Shabbos, but she has been seen at Shoprite minutes before the Z’man.

The woman also does not have an Ishur.

“They never have or had a letter from any Rav at all”, the resident tells TLS. “I told them they should get one so that people know what their true story is and would be able to assist them properly. They always say the same thing “sorry, next time”.

“They only have a small card and use the same few Yiddish words such as Good Shabbos.”

“Today, I met the women on Clifton Avenue, and saw her collecting while dressed with full Yiddeshe Malbushim and a snood. I called police after I told her she cant come here collecting without any letter at all.”

When the cops arrived, she saw the cops coming and ran into a Mexican -owned store, the resident says. Upon entering, she quickly removed her snood and hid it in her pocketbook.

“When she got startled after we approached her, we asked her point blank, “Are you Yiddish?” and she said no, in order to make as if she wasn’t the woman collecting on the street.”

The resident added, “The police can’t actually arrest her or any of them, but if we are aware of this fraud and let them know it, they may stop their prank by coming here. In Boro Park most people know already so they have been trying new territory here.” TLS.

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35 COMMENTS

  1. I cannot understand the fraud. Are only Jewish people allowed to collect chariry? Its a free country and you can dress how you wish. If you would spend time among the Amish you could dress like them too.

  2. Never give anyone who doesn’t have an ishur.

    If your emotions continue to win over your brains, and you just don’t have the heart to say “no” to someone without an ishur……. you are inviting scam artists.

    Which in turn makes everyone suspicious. And then the legitimate ones lose out.

    In effect, by giving to those without an ishur, you are being cruel to those who are legit.

    YOU ARE A CRUEL PERSON.

  3. I was approached by them (a woman and a girl) 2 weeks ago in Shoprite plaza. ) I also think I’ve seen them at other times. I once was approached by a young woman on erev pesach and I felt sorry for her thinking she had nothing to make yom tov with. I gave her a generous amt. of money, then I thought how could it be that someone has nothing for yom tov right before the holiday? It did seem fishy. I’ll never be taken like that again.

  4. why would you give money to anyone you don’t know ?
    If you do ~ well thats to bad ,I worked to hard for what I have to just give it away. Only help those in my own family period…………..

  5. It is not that only Jews may collect. It is not that we only give charity to fellow Jews. However, if someone poses as an individual who they are not, does that not invite further speculation of general fraud? If you were to give a santa by a salvation army ketlle some money, only to find out that it is some rabbi dressed like santa (hey, he probably has a white beard anyway), wouldn’t that arouse suspicion regarding that person’s trustworthiness? Simple concept. If someone deceives in such an orchestrated manner, is it not a fair assupmtion that they are likely in general a fraud?

  6. To my fellow Lakewooders:

    Any person can collect money – Non-Jew or Jew.

    But these people are coming with sob stories to elicit compassion from us, to the extent that they get poor people in our own town to contribute their hard-earned money to these people to help them in their difficulty.

    When in reality these people are lying, they have no sob stories, they’re not even Jewish (while claiming to be Jewish), and they run this scam for a living.

    There was a guy who for many years used to collect money on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn. (He wasn’t Jewish by the way). He used to sit in a wheelchair and claim that he lost a foot. He sat there for years, and compassionate people used to give him lots of money. This went on for years until the NY Post followed him and caught him walking with both feet (Turns out he hid one foot in his wheelchair)

    This man was a scammer because he was claiming he lost a foot to get people to give him money, and in reality he had both feet.

    Any non-Jew who comes to Lakewood to collect money from the good hearted people of Lakewood is welcome. As long as they say the truth.
    We don’t have patience for scammers – JEW OR NON-JEW.

  7. The system is not broken. If you only give money to people with an ishur, you’ll be okay. If you’re stupid and give to people without an ishur, that’s your own problem. Don’t blame the system if you don’t follow the system in the first place.

  8. #2 – let me try to answer your question with a question of mine and that is; why does she have to come to a jewish community to collect why can’t she go around wherever she lives or any place for that matter. And the simple answer is that jews help other jews in unprecedented ways (and in unprecedented amounts) . To be clear that is not to say that many of us wouldn’t give to people who are not jewish but the fact is we feel obliged to help others in our community who are less fortunate then ourselves – and our community is jews all over. And thats why she is coming to a Jewish community and thats also why she is pretending to be Jewish – AND SO THATS WHY ITS CALLED FRAUD

  9. It’s a scam because they are misrepresenting themselves as fellow Yidden and asking for “Tzeddaka” because they know that we are generous and giving. By the way I think the vaad has decided not to give ishurim to women. I don’t know why. If a needy woman needs to collect, shouldn’t she be allowed to just as much as a man? What if she’s a widow, or collecting because her husband is ill?

  10. 10 and 12, well put. I try to give according to my capabilities to anyone in need. Yes, I do see my fellow Jews as brothers, and so am automatically more motivated to give more generously. Did she do anything illegal? I don’t think so… Did she take us for a fool? Maybe… I still feel bad for her, and for anyone who scams their way into our hearts and our pockets. After all, to beg for food like that is humiliating, no matter what your nationality or religion and one doesn’t generally resort to that unless they find themselves in desperate straits.

  11. There are also a young lady who appear to be ‘sefardic’ looking and hangs around 2nd street on Friday. Talk 2 them in ivrit and they are clueless she has no idea what you are talking about all she knows is tzdaka… help me….
    On Purim there was another lady collecting by passing cars on Somerset and County also sefardic looking.

    They both are gypsies.

  12. We are all gods children, if people are in the need one some money for food, then why is it ok for one segment of the populace and not others? You make the decision when the knock comes. not beforehand or because of race, religion, creed.
    Remember we are all the HUMAN race.

  13. Mr Bible and all the other non Jews who have a problam w/t : Y don’t they -and all shnurres 4 that matter- from non Jews ?? Take a poll my friend the average Jew give 100 times more than the rich Non Jew and e/1 knows Jews give ! So let’s see you match 1 week of my givings and then u can comment about fraud – and like 1 person mentioned -they dress up like Jews ! Hu ? Does that say s/t !? U show me 1 non Jewish neighborhood where a “shnurer ” can make $500 in an hour -im sure u can’t!!

  14. If people are in need, they may request help regardless of race, religion or creed. They may not misrepresent their needs by stating that they need help for Holiday supplies for a Holiday they do not observe. Last night there was a woman soliciting on behalf of Chai Lifeline outside the Kollel store in Brooklyn, chanting “help people with cancer.” It is highly doubtful that she was affiliated with the organization in any way. If the funds raised are not forwarded to such organization, such solicitation is a crime.

  15. Whenever a black man asks me for a donation, I try to give him. Because he genuinely needs the money, and he is not a fraud.

    But when someone misrepresents himself as a Jew, when he is not a Jew, HE IS A FRAUD, and his sob story is probably a hoax, and therefore I will not give him.

    If a Jew would misrepresent himself, I would also not give him.

    Please do not use this as a way of creating strife in our community between Jews and non-Jews. We are all the same human beings,, and we live together in peace in the same community. This article was not meant to say that people shouldn’t give to non-Jews. G-d forbid to even contemplate such a thing!!! It was meant to say that people shouldn’t give to FRAUDS (whether they are Jewish or not).

  16. “On Purim there was another lady collecting by passing cars on Somerset and County also sefardic looking.

    They both are gypsies.”
    Yes. On Purim you give everyone, regardless race or creed Mipnei Darkei Shalom.

  17. Bible..
    If someone approached you and claimed to be your long lost uncle and he’s in dire straights etc..
    And then you were to find out that he fabricated his tale..you’d be pretty upset and wouldn’t be expressing this sentiment.
    The Jewish people..aside for being a religion and nationality are also a family..
    There’s nothing to be ashamed of for supporting family first.

  18. I AM ALL FOR JEWS NOT HELPING THIS LADY, AND BEING UPSET THAT SHE IS MISREPRESENTING HERSELF. I can fully understand that. I too find her a complete fraudster.

    -but the question i have, is who gives anyone the right to question, or call the cops, or practically chase & confront someone who looks like you, dresses like you, or acts like you, or presents themselves as your religion/faith?
    Its a free country, and you dont have the right to tell people to stop pretending to be “your” religion/faith. If tomorrow i decide to dress as a clown, and stand on the street corner and make balloon pets, and honk a hand horn – no ‘professional by trade’ clown can come up to me and ask me for my credentials and were i work, and how long have i been a clown for, and if i attended clown school. lol

  19. The tomcha tzidaka organization calls on and sends LCSW to respOnd to these fakers and take as much info from them as they can including pictures

  20. And by the way it isn’t illegal to ask for money but it is illegal to be deceptive / scam , as these ladies are doing dressing up and lying about who you are is deceptive and illegal

  21. #34 – you couldn’t be anymore wrong.

    your clothing, is not a uniform that is government issued, nor patented, nor copyrighted. i can right now dress up like a FRUM person and walk around and there is not a single thing you, lcsw, the police, nor anyone can do to me. its a free country – and as long as i am not impersonating a law enforcement official, dr, attorney, or any other licensed public service official – IM GOOD TO GO AROUND DOING WHATEVER I WANT!

Comments are closed.