Is The High Tech Homeless Man A Hoax

You've probably seen the video on Social Media about a homeless man pulling out a Square Reader to take a handout, but is it a hoax.  There are three sides to every story and the homeless man is ready to  tell his.

The other day, we came across a video that had gone viral of a homeless man asking for change.  When the guys in the car told him that all they had was a debit card, the man said no worries I have a card reader.

Well, it seems that it was all a hoax.  The homeless man, Elwood Parkins, is now speaking out.  He talked to the Roswell Daily Record and said that it was all staged and he's mad that the creators are passing it off as real.

Parkins lives in a homeless tent community behind the Roswell, NM mall.  According to Parkins, the guys in the video, Michael & Antonio Trujillo, came up to his camp neighbor and offered him $5 to shoot a comedy video.  When he refused, they asked Parkins.  Parkins said that he was more than willing to do because he loves comedy.  “This is old Carrot Top stuff, this isn’t original … it just has a modern twist,” Parkins said.

Parkins said that they practiced a few times and the Trujillo's even gave him tips on how to hold the Square Reader to the camera.

He feels that the Trujillos have mislead him, the media and the public.  Parkins is very upset because he says that since the video was released, people have stopped giving.  Parkins then said, “It’s gotten slow out there. They don’t get (it) … this is how I eat."

The Roswell Daily Record also spoke with homeless advocate Jeneva Martinez of Embrace, Inc, a verified non-profit organization.  She said that she is outraged and feels the Trujillos exploited Parkins for fame and internet popularity. “If you’re going to make a funny video, make a funny video. But make sure you tell people…it was staged” Martinez said.

The RDR also reached out to Michael Trujillo who said, “There’s always three sides to a story: his side, my side and the truth."  He is standing by his claims that the video is real and not a hoax.

The Trujillos are well known for their comedic videos.  As a matter of fact, their Facebook video library consists of self-produced “Vines,” short snips of videos that are intended to be funny.  And they are really funny.  And who knows, maybe all this buzz and attention about the 'High Tech Homeless Man" is the real hoax.  We were all so quick to believe the video, so the joke is on us, maybe.  LOL!

If you didn't see the original video, you can check it out here.