Kaci Koviak:A K-E-T-K
EXCLUSIVE TONIGHT. AFTER A
VIDEO WENT VIRAL SHOWING A MAN
ááPRETENDING TO PLAY THE
VIOLIN AND COLLECTING MONEY
FOR IT...WE BEGAN AN
INVESTIGATION.THAT'S WHEN WE
FOUND OUT THERE IS MORE THAN
JUST ONE PERSON PRETENDING TO
PLAY AN INSTRUMENT AND GETTING
PAID BY Neal Barton:THERE IS A
RING OF PERFORMERS GOING CITY
TO CITY...K-E-T-K'S KARAH
RUCKER EXPOSES WHAT SOME ARE
CALLING A SCAM NOW MAKING ITS
WAY TO TYLER.SHE HAS TONIGHT'S
SPECIAL REPORT.
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TAKE: PKGFADETO: 3:20
DURATION:3:20áánats violin
playingTALENTED MUSICIANS...OR
A RING OF SCAM ARTISTS?
TRAVELING CITY TO CITY ACROSS
TEXAS...REPORTED IN SAN
ANTONIO.AUSTIN.HOUSTON.COLLEGE
STATION.WACO.TEMPLE.KILLEEN.
"it's gentlemen going city to
city pretending to play."AND
NOW...SPOTTED IN TYLER."i
didn't want my home to be
taken advantage of."THESE
PERFORMERS ARE SETTING UP SHOP
IN PARKING LOTS...PLAYING
MUSIC, AND PRETENDING TO PLAY
ALONG WITH IT.CUSTOMERS GIVING
MONEY...TO A FALSE CAUSE.
"people who arent familiar
with music they hear it and
say oh my gosh, it's
beautiful.""in reality, the
track he was playing was doing
all the work, he wasn't even
playing."OVER AND OVER...ánats
YOU HEAR BEAUTIFUL STRINGS...
BUT SOMETIMES CAN SEE WHERE
THE HAND MOVEMENTS AREN'T
MATCHING UP WITH THE MUSIC.ONE
WOMAN...CONFRONTING ONE OF
THESE MEN IN áHER HOMETOWN.
áánats...are you actually
playing...of course of course
what do you mean? It's okay,
it's okay...it's fake."SHE
WASN'T THE ONLY ONE.THIS
VIOLINIST OF 18 YEARS...
CONFRONTING A FRAUDULENT
PLAYER.
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áánats of viral video"i got my
violin out and I asked him if
I could play with him, and he
was like yeah sure."ánats
sound from video"he didn't
play, so I said is it because
you don't really know how to
play, and he was like yeah,
I'm so sorry."POSTING THE
VIDEO TO FACEBOOK...AND IT
GOING VIRAL.'"I just don't
like other people that lie,it
hurts me, I just want to
protect my community, I love
this place, I've lived here my
entire life and I just don't
want those people taken
advantage of."HE'S NOT THE
ONLY ONE TAKING TO THE ROSS
PARKING LOT.ánats of videoA
DIFFERENT PERSON...BUT SAME
SIGN.READING "NEED TO HELP MY
MOM WITH RENT."ALL SPOTTED
MONTHS APART IN THE SAME TYLER
PARKING LOTS.IN FRONT OF ROSS
AND MARSHALLS.THIS PERFORMER
APPROACHED BY A CUSTOMER GOING
ALONG WITH THE
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ACT.áásoundTHE CITY SAYS...ANY
TIME SOMEONE IS ASKING FOR
MONEY ON áPRIVATE PROPERTY...
IT IS UP TO THE PROPERTY
áOWNER WHETHER TO HAVE THEM
REMOVED OR NOT."if the
business wants them warned off
the property, they can be
entered into criminal trespass
files."OTHERWISE IT IS áLEGAL
FOR THEM TO ASK FOR MONEY.
WHICH IS PERHAPS HOW IT'S GONE
SO FAR AND WIDE."people don't
think that stealing from
artists is without
consequence. They think it's a
victim-less crime, they really
do."PEOPLE LIKE JEWEL...
DEVOTING TIME, HEART, AND
MONEY INTO PLAYING THE
VIOLIN...SAY THERE WILL BE
JUSTICE SERVED TO THOSE BEING
DECEITFUL IN HER COMMUNITY."if
you do it enough, you're gonna
get caught by somebody,
whether that be the law or an
angry citizen, whoever, you
can't get away with it."
ááMUSIC! Fade at 3:20
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Kaci Koviak:
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THAT WAS KARAH RUCKER WITH OUR
SPECIAL REPORT.TO SEE THE FULL
VIDEO ORIGINALLY POSTED BY
JEWEL...FIRST EXPOSING THE MEN
OF PRETENDING TO PLAY
INSTRUMENTS...WE HAVE THAT ON
OUR WEBSITE, EAST TEXAS
MATTERS DOT COM...ALONG WITH
HOW ONE OF THESE PARKING LOT
PLAYERS HAS RESPONDED TO THE
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TAKE: OPEN
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