They have them in the US too, they're just a little smarter. At our local tourist trap we get the guys who tell sob stories, they always say they're in the military and their wife cheated on them and they need money for a hotel or a flight home or something. The thing is, it sounds like a good story, if you haven't heard it 10 times so most people don't notice they're there. It's the same with the 'my car broke down and I need gas money' story, how many times have you hear that? Of course they're not everywhere here, and they're probably smarter because they know they'll get in big trouble, but they're out there.