"You Broke My Glasses" Scammer Gets 7 Years In Prison

One of our favorite classic scams is the "You broke my glasses" scheme, where someone tells an unsuspecting mark that he/she has broken a pair of glasses and must pay. Variations include "You broke my bottle" routine and "you made me drop my insulin shot." Now someone is going to prison for trying to con clueless rubes—according to the Daily News, Naim Jabbar was sentenced to seven years for getting caught last year.

Apparently Jabbar "targeted countless victims - many of them tourists - in Midtown over a dozen years." And prosecutors also claimed that Jabbar, who is 6'2" and cuts an intimidating figure (his seat in court even broke!), used his stature to get marks to pay or would threaten to beat them up. He was arrested after trying to dupe a French tourist into giving him $100 for a pair of broken $5 glasses, but a passerby recognized the scam. Manhattan DA Cy Vance said, "The defendant is a dangerous individual whose highly effective criminal strategy has been to threaten and intimidate victims into turning over their money."

Jabbar's lawyer believes the jury was frightened of him but, "He's very much like Mike Tyson, he's a huge guy with a soft voice." Still, when he was arrested, he was found with broken glasses in his pocket.

Another popular scam: The pigeon drop. Also, be wary of the "I ran out of gas money" scam.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on January 7, 2011 3:08 PM

Comments [rss]

Richard

"Now someone is going to prison for trying to con clueless rubes..."

Excuse me, but I don't think you should be calling potential victims "clueless rubes," especially when Mr. Jabbar presumably chooses marks that he can presumably easily intimidate. (I, for one, do not consider myself a "clueless rube.")

Anyway, I bumped into this guy myself last May. (In retrospect, maybe "he bumped into me" would be more accurate?) Though he got all huffy and fist-pumpy, he backed off pretty quickly when I asked him, "what are you trying to pull here?"

adrian.

Coming Soon: David Mamet's The Surly Prisoner.

adrian.

Coming Soon: David Mamet's The Surly Prisoner.

adrian.

My first comment, my first duplicate.

Scott Williams

I know this guy! Not personally, but, I mean, he tried to pull this crap on me about 2 years ago near Grand Central. I work around there and he smacked my hand as I walked by going the opposite direction, and then tried to get all agressive about it, but I'm 6'4" and didn't have a cent on me anyway. I just said, "Sorry, man, I'm broke" and walked away. I guess he thought I looked like tourist or something, but to try that on somebody who actually lives here? seemed kinda ballsy. He was pretty big, though, and a decent enough actor where I thought that if I stayed he might try to get physical. Whatever. Glad he's in jail. He had it coming.

ahardy55

I once had someone try to pull the "you stepped on my bag and broke something or other on me in Union Square". I apologized politely and said we can go talk to that police officer and he can very fairly decide what I owe you in damages. That ended that pretty damn quickly.

dollarmenu

When a 6'2" dude is threatening to beat you up for your money, it's no longer a scam, it's a mugging. I don't think anyone was fooled by the broken glasses.

Petey

But the problem is a lot of his victims might not realize they're being scammed/mugged. They might really think they broke his glasses. I'm sure he's done this scam hundreds more times than he's ever been arrested for. If he was arrested even 1/2 the time he did the scam, it wouldn't have been that profitable for him.

nicemarmot

I had a guy try this on me once, among other scams that have been tried on me. Between that and the fact that the guys at Jamaica are always trying to get my metrocard I'm guessing I still look like a tourist. I do however have different solutions for the two:

You broke my glasses/medicine/penis/leg: Just keep walkin. Even if it was true, I don't care unless you're a helpless old lady or in a wheelchair.

Jamaica guys: DO I LOOK LIKE A FUCKIN TOURIST TO YOU JACKASS?/I LIVE HERE YOU FUCKTARD!!!

Mr. Know-It-All

Not to mention that a tourist would have to be awfully fucking lost to end up at Jamaica. I have trouble enough getting there when I have to get there.

bobchadwick

Either lost or on their way to or from the airport.

Tom Giebel

When I first moved to NYC I fell for the "A hooker stole my wallet and I need PATH fare to get home before my wife suspects" scam. Do they still do that one?