Gothamist: Messing with the Uptown "Broken Bottle" Scammers

Larry

Sun, 28 May 2006 21:46:49 -0500

Another great one is the "Oh you broke my glasses" scam. When you're not paying attention, someone walking by you will bump into you somehow and make a lot of noise. When you turn around, there's a pair of broken glasses on the ground. This happened to me several times around the Garment District, both in sunny conditions and rainy (e.g. "Oh you bumped into me with your umbrella, poked my eye, AND knocked my glasses off!") The thing is, I don't think anyone wears glass lenses anymore and you'd have to really smash plastic lens glasses hard to cause the sort of damage you see on these glasses. Don't fall for it.

Rach

Sun, 28 May 2006 07:25:41 -0500

Has anyone ever noticed that these bump and break scammers tend to victimize men only? I've never heard of it happening to a woman.

lsd

Sat, 27 May 2006 13:06:06 -0500

there was this black guy who was pretending to eat salad when he walked straight into me. and He was alll pissed off when his salad was on the floor and asked me for money. I was like "black people don't eat salad, stop playin" and left his conman ass.

whatever

Sat, 27 May 2006 11:50:34 -0500

I haven't seen him in a while, but there used to be a 35-40 yr. old guy around Grand Central Terminal. His con was that he was a student at Yale and had no money for train fare to return to New Haven, CT. The first time he gave me his sob story, I gave him some money (but only because I thought it was so creative). The next time I just walked away.

S.D.

Sat, 27 May 2006 07:47:09 -0500

If one has a Camera Phone, Snap a shot and call the Cops...

Michael

Fri, 26 May 2006 21:14:51 -0500

I live in the Wall Street area and have repeatedly been subject to what I call the "guilty White professional" scam. A black man walking on the street will smile broadly and exclaim "hey, don't you remember me from work? I was a security guard in your building. How are you doing". If I respond in a friendly manner I soon learn that he's not doing too well, having recently suffering a personal tragedy, and a few dollars would be much appreciated. His not unreasonable belief is that I can't recognize the anonymous black men working in my buiding and/or that I can't disntinguish one black man from another. I'd say this has happended to me about a dozen times over the past three years.

Wayne

Fri, 26 May 2006 19:44:33 -0500

That reminds me of the two occassions, literally two years apart. Once on the UWS when I was walking home I was passing these two black guys, decently dressed I suppose. They were walking unusually slow and as I tried to pass them, it seems I got in their way (more like they tried to make it look so) and bumped elbows. So as the scam goes, he drops this pair of sunglasses on the ground. I say sorry and keep walking, but then he says 'Hey, hey buddy...you broke my glasses man'. I said well sorry, didn't mean to. He says 'these cost me $50 dollers bro'. I said well you could easily have bumped into me. He had this look on his face as if I had just dissed him, but I wasn't buying it. I said sorry I bumped into ya, but it wasn't my fault you dropped your glasses. I just walked off, no harm done. Now fast forward two years later. I was going back to the office from lunch in Midtown. Wouldnt you know it? I get that strange, unusual bump again and the same two guys. Immediately I know what's up. I hear him say hey, I turn around and shake my head at him as if to shame him. He says nothing and turns around quick. These guys never give up.

gotmeonce

Fri, 26 May 2006 18:47:26 -0500

some interesting experiences have been posted on the original link... i grew up in brooklyn and live in manhattan, so i am usually aware of scammers, but my dad got hit once in the 80s and i fell for one in 2001. a contractor that had done some work in our bathroom for 5 boro tile at our house in brooklyn knocked on our door one night a few months after the job was done. he said his car ran out of gas a few blocks away and he had no money, etc. my dad was suspicious, but didn't like that the guy knew were we lived, and knew that 3 little kids lived in the house. my dad gave him $20 and the guy said he would mail him a check from work the next day. needless to say, he no longer worked for the company and my dad never heard from him again. he could have given him nothing, but i think it was an acceptable write-off since this skell knew where we lived and my dad didn't want to piss him off. In summer of 2001, I was approached by a well dressed black man in a suit, carrying an appointment book in the world trade center. he claimed that he had just finished an interview but had lost his wallet and needed $20 for a cab to get back to newark airport. he was running late for his flight back to north carolina and was desperate. he even gave me a copy of his resume with his address and phone # (both fake of course) to prove he was legit. he took my business card and promised to mail me a check for $20. At this point, I wasn't sure if i thought it was a great scam or just a guy in a bad spot that needed help. I think i was 50-50, but feeling generous, so i gave him the $20 and googled his name when i got back to my office. never heard from him of course, and it's one of my last memories of being in the world trade center before 9/11. :(

WHITE GUY

Fri, 26 May 2006 18:24:03 -0500

where they black?

jdog

Fri, 26 May 2006 16:48:38 -0500

I got hustled on 125th Street in a similar way. Instead of medicine, it was some sort of fat burner so this guy could lift weights. Eventually he threatened me so I gave him some money. I can't wait to go Travis Bickle on his arse someday.

j0sh

Fri, 26 May 2006 16:47:18 -0500

they are real batteries, just not real duracell bateries like they look like.. they usually say "PURECELL" instead. They are dry-cell not alkalines either, they will generally last about one fifth as long as real duracells, so its still not a terrible deal if your walkman is dead or if you need them for something that you dont really care how long it lasts, like a remote...

bklynd

Fri, 26 May 2006 16:40:57 -0500

I think they are just cheap batteries. Do you buy them? How long do they last?

Joe Texas

Fri, 26 May 2006 16:25:17 -0500

Don't give the woman on the corner of Houston and A your money when she begs for it. She's just going to go inside the deli and spend it on scratch off lottery tickets. Anyone know what's up with the battery guy on the subway? Not a scam I don't think, but how are they so cheap? btw that guy is awesome.

Paul

Fri, 26 May 2006 16:19:58 -0500

Hey, I'd really like to keep reading this article, but I'm at Starbucks and about to run out of wireless internet minutes. Do you think you could paypal me $19.95 so I can finish reading it?