Midtown Manhattan Scam
 

This is the second time this happened to me walking to work in midtown Manhattan. <BR><BR>Youth walks by you, fakes a brush, drops his glasses, accosts you, shows a broken lens and 'asks' you to 'reimburse'. <BR><BR>Looked like a different guy this time. Are people actually falling for this scam? Perhaps tourists? I was really pissed off this time and he was off and about immediately. <BR>

I have seen the same thing. I've also seen it with a man dropping his dinner. They make tourists feel guilty. Don't fall for this scam.

Here's a thought. How about saying to the guy, "oh, I'll want a copy of the accident report". Let's get a policeman here to write one up. Bet he disappears in a hurry.

The broken glasses scam happened to me on the Upper East Side a few months ago. I was walking south on Third Avenue around 75th Street when a young guy took an obvious sideways step and bumped into me. He dropped something; I kept walking. Two minutes later he catches up with me and says "hey mister you bumped into me back there and broke my glasses." I looked him in the eye and said "you got the wrong sucker pal" and he scurried off. About a block later I looked back and he was talking to some old woman about his newly broken glasses. Sad commentary.<BR>

The lesson to be learned here is that no matter what the crime rate is, or the feelings about NY pre- or post-9/11, or how nice or nasty NYers can be, it's still a major city and "stuff" happens. Staying on ones toes is of the utmost importance, and the old rules still apply: don't flash your jewelry or your wallet, be suspicious if someone gives you a sob story or asks for money, and don't assume that if someone is being nice they really are.