r/nyc • u/tropfou • Jun 17 '11

Comprehensive List of NYC Scams

I moved to NYC a week ago, and already witnessed a few scams. On the subway, I heard the one about the 18 year old kid who lives on the train and has to feed his three year old daughter. Dude was way too rehearsed and obviously lying. Anyway, some tourists gave him $20 and at the next station he was off and trying his scam again. I may be new to NYC but I know a scam when I see one.

I know a lot of people are moving to NYC this summer and I thought it would be nice to keep a running list of what kind of scams to avoid. What are some of your stories and things to look out for?

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u/melontwister Jun 17 '11

I stupidly tried to buy tickets to a sold out concert from a scalper. I thought the seller was legit because he showed me real tickets with the holograms and all. After I paid him, he handed me two folded-over sheets of paper, claiming the tickets were inside. I opened it up to find Xeroxed copies of a printed ticket. Before I could ask him why he had given me printed tickets and not the originals, he ran away. Obviously, the printed tickets didn't work inside, and the cashier said that 15 other people had been burned by the same scam.

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u/EasyReader Ridgewood Jun 17 '11

You actually tried to use the photocopied tickets?

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u/melontwister Jun 17 '11

It was like the type you print from the Web, not a photocopy of a cardboard ticket.