> there are some people who will dress up homeless but are actually just begging for profit.

This always reminds me of the Sherlock Holmes short story - The man with the twisted lip

> They're easy to recognize, because they're very forceful in their begging, relying more on intimidation than compassion.

This is very common in India. These so called beggars harass and target people at their weakest and happiest moments like at funerals or birth of a child, wedding or housewarming parties. I've heard of these people earning enough to own houses in multiple cities.