Happy 2012!

OK, it's not completely LT-related, but I just found a new review on the
trip advisor site for a Bayswater hotel and in the review was a
paragraph about some guy bothering people in the area.

Is this known? Is this a one-off? or are there more such annoying people
now wandering the streets of London?

I would not give this guy money. What would you do if he confronted you?
If you then tell the police that this guy is essentially holding you up,
would they bother to do anything?

Here's the paragraph:

"BEWARE of the strange black man who roams the streets of Bayswater
looking for tourists to scam. We were less than 1 block away from the
Umi Hotel when he overheard me talking to my partner, he came over with
another couple in tow and offered to show us where to go which after we
said it was ok we didn't need help he said "Don't worry it's my job" we
didn't bother replying we just kept walking. After we rounded the corner
to get to the hotel, we started walking off to the hotel and he followed
us and started talking about how close the train station was and the
facilities close by- we thought he was just being friendly and then he
asked us to PAY him for his service... I gave him about 1 pound change
to which he asked for more, then he turned to my partner and asked him
for more money! We quickly told him we didn't have money and just
started walking away... It's a shame that this guy hangs round, it
wasn't really a good first impression of the area we were in."