In 2016, you can pay for almost everything with your credit card, and now in Detroit, one homeless man will even accept your plastic if you want to give him a donation. Abe Hagenston, 42, who calls himself "Honest Abe," uses Square — the $10 device that turns any smart phone into a credit card reader — when he panhandles.
“I take Visa, MasterCard, American Express,” Abe told CBS News in Detroit. “I’m the only homeless guy in America who can take a credit card. It’s all done safely and securely through square.com.” It's not clear how many people have given Hagenston donations via the service, and he's had problems with people stealing his phone in the past.
Hagenston also has his own website, which he updates at the local library. The site includes his very elaborate backstory, a link where visitors can make donations via Square or PayPal, and a number where you can reach Abe to book him and other homeless men he knows for various odd jobs. The homepage reads, "My business is being homeless, now homelessness is my business."