Someone who confuses the homeless problem

I always wonder how many of the homeless are truly destitute people, how many are drug addicts (whom I have a hard time feeling very sorry for, I just feel somewhat sorry) and scam artists. This article, tells about one of the latter:

Paula Headley dressed for her job in Midtown -- wearing a filthy blanket and a pathetic look on her tear-streaked face. Then she headed home at the end of a busy day -- clad in a casual-chic jogging outfit and a warm hat. Meet the Fifth Avenue faker -- a fixture for four years on the famous thoroughfare, where she begs change from high-fashion shoppers.

There's more, but I'll stop here. I'm not quite sure what to make of this philosophically. It's fraud, it makes the City look filthy, and it blurs the reality between a genuine homeless/poverty problem, and piggybackers. So, I guess I'd have to conclude that I think it's a lousy scam.