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In China, authorities said the problem of 'fake' monks begging in the streets prompted them to create an online registry of all actual Buddhist and Taoist sites.
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In 2014, at least nine fake monks were arrested on charges of aggressive begging or unlicensed vending, according to the New York Times.
But their numbers seemed to have only increased. According to the Times, no one seems to know where they have come from, and Buddhists who have questioned them have not been able to get answers.
A New York Times reporter, however, followed one fake monk back to Flushing, where he split his cash for the day with another man, bought a $12.99 jug of red wine, and went back to a flophouse where recent immigrants were living.
Similarly robed men have been spotted in San Francisco, asking tourists to sign their 'peace petition' before demanding cash.
They have also been spotted in other countries, such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong and China.