While good random things often happen in a city, bad ones tend to occur, too. Lately, a couple of scammers have been driving around New York trying to rip people off with one of the oldest schemes in the book. From what it seems, they arrive in a car, call over to pedestrians in the street, and try to offer them something. Fortunately, many people have said they’ve seen these scammers all around the city, and now, they’ve been caught on camera, meaning that it will be much easier to identify them and prevent them from trying to lure people into their ridiculous tricks.
Originally, Reddit user Adventurous_Paper_34 shared the video on the r/williamsburg subreddit. However, someone also posted it on the r/newyorkcity one. In it, we can observe a couple of men stopping a pedestrian in the street. One of them tries to hand over what seems to be a ring. The one offering the object claims it is “18-carat gold.” He then says it is “his first time in this country” and that he is a “rich man millionaire.” However, he proceeds to say he doesn’t have money for the gas, so he’s handing out the supposed 18-carat gold ring.
Fortunately, the one recording didn’t fall for the trick so easily. Yet, the other man inside the car starts saying, “My friend, too much question. If you wanna help me, help me for my kids, brother.” That same man even tries to grab the glasses from the recording person.
After that, the video cuts to the inside of a store, where another person claims these scammers have been in different neighborhoods of New York, meaning it isn’t the first time they have tried this scheme.
Other Redditors shared their experience with these New York scammers, who are quite “famous” now.
“These guys tried this to me in Soho.” – warrior891 via Reddit.
“I was on the border of CA and NV and this exact scam was tried on me, in a black SUV, with “family” in the back.” – oneloneolive via Reddit.
The story’s silver lining is that many people know the scammers already. With that in mind, it will be much easier to identify them when you’re in the street. However, don’t fall for the trick if it’s your first time seeing them. It is one of the oldest in the books. Chances are they are giving you a cheap accessory, and you’ll end up paying a lot of money for it. So, if someone calls you over to a car, turn around and walk away.
