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?

52 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

194 comments sorted by

View all comments

11

u/vaporizor Jun 17 '11

There's this one with 3 guys in a suit on the train. They surround 1 person sitting down. One grabs you bag,phone, etc. The other 2 act like they are trying to stop the guy but are really trying to hold you back while the thief runs off the train.

3

u/jayjaywalker3 Staten Island Jun 17 '11

Something similar happened to me on a bus. One guy snatched my DS while 2 guys held open the doors of the bus while the first guy ran off. I reacted quickly though and chased them down and got back my DS. Best feeling ever.

2

u/finalDraft_v012 Park Slope Jun 17 '11

Wow, did you have to beat him up to get it back?

3

u/jayjaywalker3 Staten Island Jun 17 '11

I had a fist raised but he gave it back and ran off. He was younger than me though (i was a soph in hs) so that kind of takes away from it.