Where are the Beggars or Hustlers in Ecuador?

You could try the side streets off Plaza Foch in Mariscal, Quito, where panhandlers have historically looked for handouts.

During the covid era with fewer travelers in town, it is possible the panhandling community  has dwindled or moved.

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If you attempt to snap photos, you may be asked for dinero as well.

If you wish to avoid being solicited, go into full ignore mode, meaning silence and no eye contact.

Do not accept flyers on the street as there have been instances where toxic or poisonous substances were applied to the edges of the sheets.  Ditto, don't accept food or drink from strangers as it could be tainted.

A Gringo once stopped me at a Mariscal storefront .. and asked me for fifty bucks, claiming he had lost his passport.  This is a common scheme.  I offered to take him to the embassy instead, at which point he backed off.

If you post again, please tell us why you seek beggars and hustlers.

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Thank you for the advice. I am asking because I want to know which places in Ecuador to avoid.

I was very turned off by the amount of hustlers and beggars in Quito. A ton of them selling their "goods" or begging in their historic center as well as along the streets/intersections on the main streets/highways. It was a little much. I saw a handful of beggars in front of the cathedral in Cuenca's El Centro and maybe a couple here and there in the rest of El Centro, but not a lot at all, really.

In my experience, in Guayaquil before 2018, I rarely saw begging or panhandling. I would put the rate of panhandling as about what I experienced in most downtowns in the Midwest.

However, I see a lot more informal selling on the streets in Guayaquil. For me, there is a distinct economic difference compared to panhandling. 99% of the street vendors are not aggressive and always walk away with an initial no.

Starting in late 2018, I noticed an uptick in panhandling. My guess is this had to do with the diaspora caused by the regime in Venezuela.

Once the lockdowns got underway,  panhandling increased more so, as one would reasonably expect in a nation with such high rates of absolute poverty.

In terms of confidence scams, I have only been approached once... By a rather infamous South African woman claiming her son needed assistance and she had lost her passport. Having been warned about this con artist, I told her no several times and quickly walked away.