Well, well, well. It looks like there's a new warning about giving money to panhandlers who aren't what they appear to be, and we're not going to let that slide in our town. So, Megan and Hairball went out to do some exposure of the scam.

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A Little Backstory About Violin Scams:

Officials across the country are warning people about the instrumentalists who are begging for money while they "play the violin." Little do citizens know, they are not actually playing the violin, the speaker is just playing music off their phone while they pretend to play the instrument.

Here's a news report about the violinists:

Officials say the fraud involves dishonest violin players who solicit money (either cash or by electronic payment) in parking lots of shopping plazas.

"This is a nationwide issue," Montgomery Police wrote. "Please share this alert to others. Stay Safe."


The Violin Duel

After getting reports of these violinists around the Quad Cities, Hairball and Megan headed out with a violin, a speaker, and a couple of props to let these finger-syncing "violinists" know we're onto their schemes.

The duo showed up at a Quad City Walmart to duel these violinists, to see who has the better skills.

Hairball played the violin with a setlist of songs that were unreasonably technical, and did his best to "play them." He might be a musician, but he has no idea how to play the violin - and neither do the scammers.

First off was Eruption - you know, the classic Eddie Van Halen piece that is extremely technical and hard to play. He nailed that one, with dance involved.

I mean, look at the FORM!

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Then it was onto a crowd pleaser. He's competing for tips, so it's time for a favorite like Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Now, just playing the song wouldn't be enough, so Hairball showed off his ability to play violin perfectly with a hockey stick.

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Megan's side reads "She's more FAKE than us!"

After that, we went for a full throwback that everyone knows - Eye of the Tiger, because there's no way big tips don't come in for the greatest workout song of all time.

Hairball used a... different instrument to play the violin at this point:

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And now, it was time for the finale.

These violinists were no match against a powerhouse like Hairball, especially with a song as awesome as Thunderstruck.

He showed off his ability to play behind his back, behind his head, and between his legs.

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Then, Megan dropped the sign and took the violin. It turns out Hairball has just as much dexterity in his butt than he does with hands - which he showed by twerking the notes onto the instrument.

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But then, for the GRAND Finale.

There really are no words to explain what these two finished with, so just watch the video.

Be sure to listen to the Dwyer & Michaels Morning Show on Monday morning around 7am to hear the full story behind the video.

Out of the area? Listen in the station app.

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