April 27, 2006
Columbia Students are Easy Marks
Ooh, we love a good street con story. A bunch of people are reporting that they've been swindled by a couple around Columbia's neighborhood. The Columbia Spectator reports that the con artists are a "homeless looking couple":
Their modus operandi is simple. Walking into unsuspecting passers-by, the couple—a young man and woman—drop a plastic bag containing a glass bottle. The bottle shatters. The man angrily demands to be repaid for the contents, while the woman insults the stunned fall guy. If the “bottle job” is successful, the couple runs off with cash.A Spectator photographer, who was a victim/mark of the scheme, was told the bottle held vitamins for the pregnant woman; he decided to pay the couple $40, and he wasn't the only one to fall for it. The police say this a common scheme, and the Spectator has seen it before, but in the form of "You Broke My Glasses." That's tough - there are scams all the time. We almost fell for the "Help me, I'm trapped here in NYC" scam at Grand Central last year ("I'm a professor visiting from Korea but I was robbed and need money to get to NJ"), but then the guy became disgusted with us when we tried to convince him to go the information desk or a consulate. And then we saw him Times Square two months later, when he asked us for money again.
Have you given money to a con artist? What are some good street scams?
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I put on my game face (aka my iPod and my big glasses) and ignore everyone who tries to talk to me on the street. At the mall in FL, displaying this behavior toward nail kiosk guys shocked my sisters.
MissPinkKatee really showed those mall guys.
You should check with your Torontoist connections, but this past week in Totronto there was a guy selling phony car insurance to people at the food court of a downtown mall for 200 bucks a pop. Oh, the gullible. Not exactly a grift, but still scam-tastic!
if you're buying car insurance for a scam artist in a mall food court, then you desertve to be scammed.
My buddy got caught by a similar scam a few years back, except the guy had said he was an amateur boxer on the way to a tournament and that my friend had broken his jar of cut creme (guessing he was talking about some sort of stiptic ?), and he pretty much shook my friend down for like $40. I stood there and giggled, but probably would've forked over cash too, the guy was pretty big and intimidating. My friend was smart and kept a separate stash of cash away from the main money in his wallet.
On 14th and 1st, some guy stopped me once and told me he had just come up from Florida...blah blah blah he was looking for some shelter to stay in but he needed money...i gave him 2 bucks...and went on my way...i mean he had an interesting story so i figured why not...
6 months or a year later...same neighborhood, same guy stops me...gives me the same story...halfway into his story, i repeat it to him, and hes like "how do you know all this? you're freaking me out"...i gave him another 2 bucks, cuz it was just funny...
Do those kids selling candy on the train "for their basketball team" count as full-on grifters? Oh, I think they do. I do indeed.
1. Riding over Manhattan Bridge on subway.
2. Guy carrying oriental rug between cars pretends to slip and fall.
3. People are scared for him.
4. He makes it into the car safely and suddenly realizes he's "lost his wallet" in the fall.
5. He starts asking for money.
6. He stops in front of me, stares me down, and says, "What are you laughing at, white boy? I got nothing now. You look like you got money, but I got nothing. You laughing at me?" Note how he plays to race and class at the same time.
7. He continues berating me in front of everyone assuming I'll pay him to go away, but I hold my ground. Of course, no one comes to my defense.
actually, schools really do have the kids sell candy for teams and whatnot, which i think is messed up, because obviously they're going to sell them on the subway, which is illegal.
my general rule is never to give anyone money ever, but i did once give $10 to a woman in my neighborhood who was desperately asking for money for diapers and formula. i didn't really care whether she was really desperate for that or just a fix (which i figured it was), something about her just broke my heart.
can't believe the broken bottle scam is still around! i think i paid a buck once in the late 70s to a guy who bumped into me and dropped and smashed his quart bottle of miller (this was before 40s... and enforced no-drinking laws). that was the last time i paid. since then i just laugh and keep walking, or forcefully say i'm not paying, or run, or run to a pay phone and dial 911, or dial 911 from the cellie (depending upon era and bigness of scammer).
the columbia kids fell for the oldest scam in the city. i've had it tried on me with: eyeglasses, booze, and crack vials.
Diapers and formula is a classic. I used to get harrassed by a guy who needed those "for his baby." Made me wonder by how much he was planning to mark them up when he got back to the hood to sell them to get the cash for his fix. What a world.
jen, i've seen the same guy as you describe.. probably 3 times over the past 4 years.. union sq, hoboken, and wtc if i remember right. He gets really mad if you tell him he's tried to scam you before. Somehow I got a kick out of that. aah, new york..
Got I hate cons, I've been hit up with implausible sob stories about 5 times since I've lived in New York. I like to say "gee, I'd like to help you, but I actually don't have any cash at all," as in, you want to lie to me, fine, I'll lie right back.
The most aggressive cons I've ever encountered were in Hartford, CT, and Rochester, though. The NYC ones had the sense to just move on when I wasn't buying it.
Laughter is a con artist's kryptonite...just keep laughing and they'll move on. If they don't, escalate to verbal assault and basically call them out on their con.
yes, they do sell candy for their teams, but throughout the whole year? and into the summer? i don't think so.
Most kids have changed their stories to "i'm doing this to stay off the streets"
the worst part is when they make the young kids sell candy...one time i saw an older gentleman berating a kid, he must have ben 10 or 12 years old for not selling enough candy...right then and there i vowed never to buy from those kids...they have pimps..wtf?!
helen, at least these kids are selling something and not just robbin and stealin. whether it's for b-ball or not, it could be a lot worse.
my fave con is the typical crack feind on the subway going on and on about his/her shitty life and how his/her kids are at home with no food. (if you're kids are at home, alone with no food, then perhaps child services should be called and your kids taken away). i never give into the bullshit these people dish out. it's not even creative anymore, it's the same crap played by a different charachter...
the only people i would even think of giving money to are street musicians, street dancers and kids selling candy.
as for your money, do what you want with it, but there are a plethora of good services out there that your money will do more good then harm if you donate it... better yet, get off your ass and donate your time too.
Re: Kids selling candy on trains to raise money for basketball uniforms.
Maybe five years ago, a handful of schools engaged in this form of fundraising (I, for one, could never understand what a junior high school athlete was doing on the subways asking for money at 11:30 on a weekday morning). Nowadays, the number of legit M&M sellers is zero. In fact, so many of them now proclaim that they are not trying to raise money for anyone but themselves.
Once, I engaged one of these kids and asked them to tell me more about their basketball team. I offered to buy the entire team uniforms if he could give me the coach's name and phone number.
The kid freaked and walked away muttering something about yuppies and body parts.
I cringe to admit this, especially since I normally have my "game face" on, but I totally got scammed in Washington Square Park one night in December of '04.
Gay guy comes up to me on his bike and says rather quickly, "I've just locked myself out of my apartment and my wallet is inside. I have to be uptown in 30 minutes for a shoot. Do you have any money you could spare for a cab?" I'm thinking that a gay guy's not going to scam me and after some tentative back and forth, I give the guy $20. 20-freakin'-dollars because I had nothing smaller. He asked where I worked and promise to come by and pay me back. Yeah right.
Worst part was by the end, I totally knew I was getting scammed. Even worst part was finding out a couple months later that my friend got scammed by the same man. I should have known better.
i love the scammers.. it's all part of the big city amusement arcade.. my fav is the Nun who used to go around Wall Street bars collecting for some convent thang! I once saw a bar owner ask her for ID and she started cursing her out !!!!
The scariest have got to be in San Fran... where they will walk down the street with you, follow you into cafés and shops, until you give them cash.
All part of the great wealth distribution! Have a nice day.
Friday night a guy dressed as a Hasidic Jew claims to be looking for train fare to get to Brooklyn. This one was totally laughable.
The dropped-bottle scam also comes as the dropped-food scam. Somebody with a big styrofoam container of food is walking down the street, eating from it, seems to be concentrating on the food and walking in a straight line, but then inexplicably veers into your path, makes a little body contact, drops the food, and then makes claims like, "That was my one meal for the day! I spent the last of my money on that! That cost ten dollars!" Usually, it's a dollar or two of rice and beans.
I've seen the "I need to go uptown to get my AIDS medication" scam too many times to count. Usually they claim the place is about to close, they can't afford a cab, without the meds they'll die/go into a coma/"get worse" because they're not supposed to miss a day, Medicare/insurance check hasn't come through, blah blah blah. The whole act is so tiresome you might just give them money to go away.
The Columbia University bubble is a big target. All the street people and "crews" (folks who get together in informal and impromptu teams to panhandle or hustle) know that the rich rube ratio is very high up there. I've seen pickpocketings, street hustles, grifts, shakedowns, chain snatchings, you name it. The only thing that pays more consistently for them is three-card monte in Chinatown: you get tourists and bridge-and-tunnel rubes who are out on the town to spend money and are very free with it.
A weird one when I first moved here: at a crowded crosswalk in Soho, a guy started aiming a polaroid camera at me. I could see another guy move around behind the crowd, and I suspected he was going to look for purses and pockets to pick. So I said "don't take my picture" but he moved in closer, so I pushed his arm aside (gently but firmly) and he "dropped" the camera and started screaming obscenities at me. Fortunately the light changed, but I could still hear him a half a block away.
Not a scam but also freaky: with some visiting friends, hanging out in Washington Square Park. A guy was playing accordian, and came up and stood right in front of us and played. He wasn't very good. He paused and said: "What do you want me to play?" My friend suggested a polka, at which point the guy lost it and started screaming "Don't tell me what to play! You f-g c-t!" and then launched into a vile string of obscenities, while we ran away as fast as we could. Freak.
Overall though, I've seen much more aggressive street antics in other cities, like DC and LA, than here.
girlacross-i have seen this guy too. he even told me i could take the cab with him and he would repay me when he got to wherever he was going. i didn't give him any money and wished him well. and then i saw him again about a month later, in the same spot, and he gave me the same story. i said "come on! didn't you do that last month?" he got mad and left.
Re: Kids selling candy on trains to raise money for basketball uniforms.
Can you imagine any of these 'kids' not robbing you at knifepoint?
They charge $1 for a $0.60 chocolate bar. Thief.
buying a metrocard. Just as my card popped out of the "refilled card slot" a girl at the machine next to me dropped har card in front of me. weirdly enough I completely ignored her, too consumed with the balancing act of getting my card and wallet in my bag. my natural instinct is to pick up anything anyone drops, and I realized after the fact that this was most likely her plan, a way for her to distract me and get my new card. she nearly threw her card across my path.
The "Korean Professor" has hit me and several of my friends since 2000. I bumped into him on 46th and 6th avenue. Except that time he said he was a visiting professor from UPENN and needed money for the train ride back. Then starts spitting out comp sci jargon... Since he is dressed nicely it's easy to get scammed by him. Gothamist should get a picture of him and post it up, shouldn't be too hard since he's been scene around Korea Town.
once in 1998 on the UES and once in 2005 in Chelsea, the same guy approached me and said I should be on TV...he said he's casting a show like the simpsons and i'd make a great voice for the cow...i don't know why i = cow voice (i'm a pretty small girl) but he then tried to get me to go with him and "record" something in the studio. it's by far the most bizarre scam i've ever encountered and i can't believe it happened twice to me in the course of 7 years...
I ran into the glasses guy in time square. I didn't give him anything, but i still felt bad and considered that i may have actually rammed into the guy.
A year earlier in park slope a guy was telling me I had caused him to drop his inhaler. He was upset about some little plastic bart inside being broken, but did not direct any anger or belligerence my way. Having been born the previous day, I asked how much such things were to replace. I had too much time on my hands, so one thing lead to another. He later said that a bunch of crack had been stored in the bottom of the inhaler, which had been spilled). By the time this seemed really messed up, as opposed to the short of shady i had been desensitized to by various roommates (who later turn out to be deadbeat liars), I was already in another neighborhood next to an ATM. This did not end well, and I'm still mystified that I could have been so easily persuaded to feel responsible.
I hadn't even heard of that sort of thing before (only scams predicated on greed, not guilt), I'm not used to calling people liars to their face, and it was distractingly hot out, but there really isn't any excuse. The 200 he 'borrowed' is inconsequential, but I'm continually ashamed to have encouraged people like that.
"i'm a tourist from out of town - can you break a $100?" they pull out the $100, you (like an idiot) open your wallet because you want them to see that NY'ers are nice, they grab your wallet and run. You are left walletless.
girlacross and xnxox--same guy, different place: Soho, circa late '99, on my way to work at a restaurant. He was late for a shoot, lost his keys, needed money for a cab, asked me where I worked so he could bring me the money. I thnk I gave him 10 bucks, knowing I'd probably never see him again, but every so often I like to "test humanity" and see if they'll come through. Why I set myself up for such a letdown I don't know. When I got to work, it turned out one of my coworkers had just encountered him on the way as well and had done the same thing. We thought it was hysterical. The guy must've thought nothing but idiots worked at that restaurant.
So many gullible people on here. Nearly EVERY time a stranger on the street comes up to you, they're a scammer. I don't care if I see someone bleeding to death, asking me for money. I just walk by and mind my own business and don't give them anything, not even my attention. Or, if they get in my face, I simply scowl while opening my eyes wide, which is my "fuck with me and I'll kill your sorry ass" stare. Works every time.
Bickle - I know what you're saying - gothamist should change the title to "New Yorkers Are Easy Marks" . . .
But there's so many people who ask/beg/scam in this city, people (actually, in this case, me) just feel guilty for not "testing humanity" (as mentioned above too) after awhile. Even those who go a year or two without giving "them" $$.
The con on Metro-North and other commuter trains is a guy in T-shirt and jeans, a little scruffy but not homeless looking, trolls the late-ish trains (10pm and on) saying that either he lost his wallet or got mugged, and needs some weird off amount like $2.30 to get home to somewhere in the suburbs. People either give him a buck or 5 bucks.
This was a nightly routine in the late 80s-early 90s when I worked the semi-late shift and took the 11pm/mid/1am trains on a regular basis. I saw the guy every night for 6 months.
There used to be a young black guy with dreads who'd go around asking, "You got a quarter?" He always worked the area surrounding Astor Place. I always lied to him, saying "No, I don't." I wonder what ever happened to that guy?
girlacross, what I don't get is why you gave him money for a purported cab when he was on a bike. Even if he legitimately had to be uptown, he was RIDING A BIKE. I can get from Washington Square to 125th Street in less than half an hour.
And also, what makes you say he was gay? He was effeminate, perhaps? And all "effeminate" men are gay, right? Or maybe just because he scammed you.
Why be effeminate if you're not gay? Is it a turn on for any female to have a raging hetero flamer for a mate?
I'd like to know how much Korean Professor and SoHo camera guy make in a year. More than most of us who are reading Gothamist on the company dime right now, I bet.
yeah, i remember that guy that used to comb the late trains at grand central trying to get 2.30$ or whatever. there was another older guy who used to do that but just used the "i'm a hungry veteran" thing which sucks when you are sitting down in a seat and they corner you.
though it's more of a joint crime rather than a scam, whatever happened to the dudes on the subway who would swipe you through for a dollar? they ran rampant in upper manhattan in the late 90's
Once my friend and I were walking in Penn Station and this dude comes up to me and he says he needs a couple of bucks for a train to get back home in New Jersey. The first thing he said, though, was "I'm just black, not homeless". After he said that I knew it was a scam and tried to drag my friend away, but he insisted on helping the dude after he pulled out a military ID and saying stuff like "I have job but just ran out of money and I've been stuck here for six hours".
I mean seriously, who says that?
once at about 8:30 am in clinton hill/bed stuy: a short black guy with fancy dreads, dressed like a fashionista, carring a big bag like photo stylists do. claimed to be 'out here' for a shoot but got lost and scared of brooklyn and needs to get back to manhattan but lost his wallet. obviously a scam, but i carry a spare pay-per-ride metrocard and i offered it to him and he refused, saying he wanted to take a cab and couldn't i give him some cash for that? this is right in front of the C train entrance. i said sorry that's all i've got and offered it again and he turned and stomped off in a huff.
a few weeks later- same guy, different tale (mugging), near union square. told him he'd tried it on me before, same stomping off in a huff.
the worst thing about these scams is that they prey not on people's sympathy or guilt, but very specifically on their kindness. it takes a special kind of sociopathy to do that.
Two days after I moved to New York some guy was walking arounf my neighborhood with a clip board and a picture to two young black kids. He would ask if you had seen that they had been shot while playing basketball about ten blocks away. Then he would ask for some money to "help their mothers pay for burial." He would even offer to take your name so you were thanked. I saw him again about 10 days later at which point I said "they must be awfuly ripe if you haven't buried them yet." He cursed me out.
I, too, was taken for $$ by the locked-out-of-his-place guy on a bike who had to be somewhere in a hurry. I encountered him on Park Ave So. & 30th street about six years ago. I think I gave him $15. Even before I fished the money out of my pocket I thought to myself, "He needs to be somewhere in a hurry -- but he has a *bike*" He asked for my work address, so he could repay me, but of course I never heard from him.
More recently I gave money to a guy who works in Fort Greene, down around BAM. Carrying a clipboard and with a very intent manner, he starts out by saying "Did I get you yet?" and proceeds to tell you about the kid who was shot in the playground right around there -- didn't you read about it in the newspaper? -- and whose family cannot afford a proper burial service. He asks you to sign the clipboard, recognizing you to the family as a donator. I gave him $5 and a fake name when I moved into the area two years ago. I've seen him a couple of times since then, always with the same line. I'm dying for him to hit me up again -- "Did I get you yet?" "Yeah, buddy. You got me."
Has anyone ever given money to someone, sensing a scam but willing to take a flyer on humanity, and had it not be a scam?
I don't think I have, though once I got stuck without any cash at a tollbooth in Seattle. I parked my car to the side and walked back through the waiting cars asking people for the loan of $5 or whatever it was. I'm an honest-looking guy, and some people wouldn't even make eye contact. It was pretty disturbing, and gave a little more sympathy for people who don't have even a shred of credibility and yet can actively beg for money all day long. Eventually someone (a young couple) gave me the money, and when I asked for an address to send repayment they essentially said, "pay it forward."
I fell for this same scam in Boston once about seven years ago. I was up there on a business trip and a guy bumps right into me drops a bag with a glass bottle and says "did you do that on purpose?" I'm originally from a small town and had never been in any situation like this before and apologized. He said it was whiskey for his Mom in the hospital, which made about zero sense. I gave him $20 figuring that was a good trade-off for safety, considering I was carrying about $400 cash at the time.
This happened to me a few months back (sunglasses), but I didn't know it was a scam until reading this post. I walked and the guy dropped his sunglasses and proceeded to pick them up, but I kept walking not wanting to get into it. He literally chased after me for one block and then confronted me with,
"Hey you broke my glasses."
"Sorry", I said as I walked into my work building.
That was that.
Bickie said:
"I don't care if I see someone bleeding to death, asking me for money. I just walk by and mind my own business and don't give them anything, not even my attention."
Although I appreciate and understand this attitude, I have to say that I've been on the other side of the coin.
A couple of years ago I was riding my bicycle between williamsburg and fort greene when I was knocked off my bike by a van. The dude didn't stop and when I got up I realized my wrist was sliced down to the tendons.
I tried to stop two people for help, and when the third said, "sorry man, I'm late for work.", a bit pissed and bit in shock I screamed, "DUDE, I'm FUCKING BLEEDING!!"... and thankfully the guy stopped.
The difference between me and scammer, like you said, I wasn't asking for money, I was asking for someone to help me lock up my trashed bike. But the guy had to give me at least a little attention to figure that out. I think you can do that without setting yourself up to be victimized.
WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL I WAS ALLOWED TO USE THE FAMILY CAR TO DRIVE TO SCHOOL ONE DAY. A VERY LONG DRIVE, IT WAS IN ARIZONA. ABOUT 60 MILES. WHILE IN SCHOOL IT STARTED TO SNOW (FLAGSTAFF) I TOOK OFF EARLY TO GET HOME BEFORE IT GOT TOO DEEP, FORGETTING TO GET GAS. BEFORE I RAN OUT I PULLED INTO A GAS STATION AND PENNILESS, BEGAN TO ASK FOR CHANGE FROM ANYONE WHO PULLED UP. IT TOOK A LONG TIME AND NO ONE BELIEVED ME. THEY SAW A DECENT CAR, A BORED AND LAZY LOOKING KID,SUSPICIOUS.... NO EYE CONTACT - JUST ROLLED UP THE WINDOWS. FINALLY A CRACK HEAD GAVE ME SOME CHANGE AND I GOT HOME ON FUMES. SO NOW I GIVE MONEY TO ANYONE WHO ASKS. I DONT CARE IF THEY ARE LYING. I FIGURE I GIVE AWAY 5 BUCKS A WEEK MAX. ITS PART OF THE LOCAL ECONOMY.
ONE DAY THIS YEAR ATAT XMAS TIME I GAVE MY FAVORITE HOMELESS PAL TEDDY 100 BUCKS. JUST GIVE IT AWAY. YOU CAN ALWAYS GET SOME MORE. IF YOU HOLD ON TO IT FOR TOO LONG IT WILL FIND A WAY INTO YOUR HEART.
"And also, what makes you say he was gay?"
Because I'm a gay woman and can spot a gay man at 10 paces. Anyway, yes it was completely rediculous that I fell for the guy. I NEVER give people money or acknowledge a request for something. Was that one time in my life I went against everything I knew instinctively about scammers. Yeah, he was on a bike, but could have put it in the trunk of a cab. Whatever. I said goodbye to my $20 long ago.
A couple of years ago, I was approached by the bike/cab guy in Washington Square Park a few times, and every single time the first question he asked was, "Hey, are you gay friendly?" After I told him yes, he completely went into character mode and started talking in an overly exaggerated feminine voice, telling me how he needed a cab really badly, and that since I was gay friendly, I should be a friend to him and help him out. Twice he wanted a cab, and then another time I think it was a hotel. I wonder what ever happened to that guy...
This winter, I spent a few nights a week playing hockey in central park. Nightly at the 110th street 2/3 station there would be a woman who constantly would ask, "do you have 50 cents?"
After a few weeks of giving her some spare change, and getting hit up for it every single night I got tired, and switched up my response.
"Do you have 50 cents?" she asked.
"You bet I do!" I replied, and kept walking.
There used to be a semi-scraggly skinny guy in the West Village who would approach women with the sob-story, "Hey, I'm a costume designer and I just locked myself out of my apartment. Don't worry, I'm not hitting on you - I'm gay -- so anyway -- I have a whole bunch of costumes that I need to get into my apartment over on Perry Street. There's a spare key over at my friend's apartment, but I can't leave the costumes out on the street! Could you come back to the apartment with me and watch the clothes while I go get the key?" Something like that.
The first time he approached me, I listened even though I knew he was shady. The second time(!), I cut him off after he gave me the "I'm not hitting on you" bit. He was annoyed.
Funny, I was talking about this just the other day, wondering if anyone ever actually accompanied him "back to the apartment".
Eww.
Lots of subway scammers over the years come to mind. But anyone living in Manhattan in the 90s remembers the Irish guy who used to ride the 2/3 all the goddam time, talking about his sick pregnant wife and 7 kids and no home and no job. Every time I saw him he had more/fewer kids and the story was tweaked slightly...
Weirdest tagteam grift I ever witnessed though was in Hong Kong. Long story short, riding the bus in from the old Kai Tak airport with a buddy. Brit-like guy strikes up a conversation with us. Along the way, Chinese guy squeezes into the empty seat next to him. Bus arrives in the city and we all get off. Brit guy suddenly shouts "Oh my god, I've been pickpocketed! Call the police!" Amazingly, another Brit-like guy claiming to be a detective (complete with badge) just happened to be nearby and was ready to spring into action. As witnesses to the 'crime,' we'd have to come down to the station and answer a few questions. The 'victim' says all his money for his trip, credit cards, etc. were in that wallet and would we be able to give him a bridge loan to tide him over? The fake detective starts getting edgy. He's in a hurry. We smell a rat, look at each other and bolt. I wouldn't be surprised is some similar if not less complicated scheme wasn't being pulled on the Airtrain, airport buses or subway from JFK.
p.s. yo Snickers, that racist comment proves you to be an assus holus. Those kids selling candy arent' really bothering anybody unlike the self-righteous screaming preachers. Go back to the burbs from whence you came...
The "dropped food" gag was tried on me, but he was wearing a jacket for a company I knew quite a bit about. So I kept asking him questions until he freaked out and ran away. I was just pissed he got food on my jacket.
Later that year I saw this guy walking towards me and he swerved towards me at the last second and practically threw his glasses down in front of me. Unfortunately for him, I stopped short and he looked pretty ridiculous. Didn't stop him from trying the gag though. He didn't seem to like me laughing my ass off at him.
I cant wait for the next person to try this, since I carry a camera all the time now. They'll make a wonderful addition to my web page. Still, it's pretty sad that people feel this is the best way to get a few bucks.
I got the "you made me drop my sun glasses and it scratched the lenses" bit near Rockefeller Center a few years ago. Just before the dude and I passed I took one huge step to the left to avoid him and he reflexively went with me to ensure I would clip him. I kept walking and got about 20 feet before looking back. Only then did he claim it was my fault. He did not immediately try to stop me. I yelled back that he stepped into my path and I kept on walking, fully expecting to get jumped from behind. Never happened thus I know he was a scammer.
I got suckered at home in San Francisco once by a one armed black man standing by a parking garage machine asking if folks had a dollar for change, and I got completely suckered...he had a good stalling routine of counting his money and talking to stall and then walks away with the money. I knew I was suckered as soon as I gave him the dollar. Now he hangs out in North Beach and I see him all the time hanging out by a pay-phone working the same routine, and I just smile knowingly, though I occasionally get the urge to smack him and take my dollar back, but when it comes down to it, I'm only bitter because I got suckered, I've given plently of folks a dollar before without them needing to sucker me. 40 dollars, though? that's a whole different league.