Every city has its fair share of tricks or scams aimed at tourists, and the Big Apple is no exception. While it’s unlikely you’ll encounter harm during your visit to New York, being aware of common scams can enhance your experience. In this article, I will introduce you to the most prevalent tourist traps you may encounter.
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Table of Contents
- Prices Do Not Include Taxes
- “Free” Tickets to Shows
- Overpriced Food from Street Vendors with Carts
- “Authorized Ticket Sellers”
- Photos with Costumed Characters in Times Square
- Staten Island Ferry Ticket Sellers
- Pickpockets in the Subway
- “Donate to Charity!”
- “Give Me a Hand and $10”
- “You Broke My Glasses, So You’ll Pay Me!”
- Electronics Sale Stores
- Travel from the Airport in a Gypsy Cab
- Free CDs from Local Musicians
Prices Do Not Include Taxes
The first point is not exactly a scam but rather a significant cultural difference. In New York City, prices in stores are listed without taxes included.
At checkout, a 4% New York State tax and a 4.5% New York City tax are added to the price of goods, along with a Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District fee of 0.375% for most services. The total price increase amounts to about 9%.
Neither state nor city tax is applied to clothing and footwear costing up to $110.
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“Free” Tickets to Shows
Broadway, stand-up comedy, and other shows have always been integral to New York’s identity, attracting a lot of interest. Mostly in Times Square, you’ll find promoters distributing free vouchers for entertainment shows.
Mostly, these vouchers are for B-movie clubs with sub-par performances. While the show itself is free, there’s usually a minimum requirement of two drinks per person. Each drink may cost you as much as $17.00.
If you’re looking for a comedy show, research specific clubs, for example, on Google Maps, and read user reviews. Be sure to check out pricing and schedules to avoid disappointment. You can also get a feel for the club by searching for it on YouTube.
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Overpriced Food from Street Vendors with Carts
Vendors selling hot dogs, hamburgers, and other fast foods are a common sight on the streets of New York City. Beware of vendors who don’t display a price list on their stall. After ordering, they may inflate the price, hoping customers will agree to pay up to $20.00 for a plain hot dog without protest.
The typical price of a street hot dog in New York City ranges from $3.00 to $4.00 (updated February 2023).
The solution is simple. Either avoid buying from these stalls, or simply walk away once the price is announced. The vendor will then often lower the price, as they have a ready-to-eat hot dog on their hands.
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“Authorized Ticket Sellers”
In front of the Empire State Building, at the ferry to the Statue of Liberty, and at other attractions, you may meet people wearing vests with the label “Authorized Ticket Agent”. These individuals often approach passersby, asking if they are heading towards the attraction in question without naming it directly, a part of the scam.
Tourists are then sold tickets to completely different attractions, or at best, to the correct attraction but at a significantly higher price. Moreover, the “Authorized Ticket Agent” label is meaningless.
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Photos with Costumed Characters in Times Square
Times Square is home to the Naked Cowboy, Spongebob, Mickey Mouse, and other well-known characters who are eager to take pictures with everyone. Some even pose with children, encouraging you to snap a photo.
However, these photos aren’t free. Posing for pictures is how these characters earn their living, and they expect a tip of at least $5.00. If you take a photo and don’t wish to pay, the pressure to do so can become uncomfortable.
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Staten Island Ferry Ticket Sellers
The ferry from Manhattan to Staten Island is free, its service covered by the City of New York. However, you might encounter fraudsters selling tickets for this free ferry at the boarding pier or terminal. The same advice applies here as with similar scams – avoid buying anything on the street and verify all information.
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Pickpockets in the Subway
Crowds attract pickpockets, and the biggest crowds are found in the subway during rush hour.
The traditional advice is not to keep your wallet, phone, or documents in easily accessible places such as your trouser pockets or backpack. A proven method on crowded platforms and in carriages is to take your backpack off your back and hold it in front of you.
Sitting with your phone in your hand near the door is also quite risky. Some pickpockets snatch the phone from passengers’ hands just before the door closes, then run away. Before anyone can react, the door is closed, and the train is moving.
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“Donate to Charity!”
In the USA, people are generally accustomed to donating to charities, from assisting the homeless to supporting the local basketball team or sick shelter kittens. This is often exploited by fraudsters who sell goods ranging from hats to water bottles right on the streets. Paradoxically, they often style themselves as homeless people, using worn-out clothing and sad speeches to evoke sympathy. Some fraudsters even dress as monks and hand out consecrated wooden beads.
I recommend thinking carefully before giving to these individuals. Often, you may merely be contributing to a charlatan who is actually making a profitable living.
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“Give Me a Hand and $10”
This is a more aggressive variant of the previous scam. You are walking down the street when you are stopped by a respectable-looking man who extends his hand for a handshake. Once you reciprocate, you find a lollipop, candy, or some other small sweet in your hand. The now significantly less polite man asks you for $10.00. He claims he needs the money because he’s lost his job, has a sick child, and is on the verge of losing his house due to an unpaid mortgage. He’s playing on your emotions.
Don’t believe anything, and especially don’t give him any money. In fact, don’t even shake his hand.
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“You Broke My Glasses, So You’ll Pay Me!”
It’s unlikely you’ll encounter this scam, but it’s quite sophisticated and many people might fall for it. You’re walking down the street when a man intentionally bumps into you, drops a plastic bag, and accuses you, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, of breaking his bottle of expensive prescription medication, glasses, or something else. He demands that you compensate him.
This is a trick, of course; his medicine bottle or glasses will break a dozen more times that day. The easiest thing to do is to avoid engaging with him and walk towards a crowd, or loudly assert that you won’t pay him.
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Electronics Sale Stores
Who wouldn’t want to bring home an iPhone, iPad, or other electronics from the USA? Especially in the Midtown area, you’ll find numerous stores advertising “total iPhone and iPad sales.” This is yet another tourist trap.
The products in these stores tend to be either overpriced or of inferior quality. They are usually outdated or refurbished models, stolen items, and the like. If you want to bring back some electronics from the USA, I recommend purchasing only from reputable and well-established stores.
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Travel from the Airport in a Gypsy Cab
Though this type of scam is reportedly decreasing, it’s still worth warning about. People worldwide try to exploit the same principle. Often, seemingly respectable men outside airports offer rides in unmarked, usually decent-looking cars.
As expected, traveling with them is overpriced. When more than one person travels at a time, drivers often attempt to argue that the price was per person, didn’t include tax, highway tolls, tunnel tolls, and then ask for a tip at the end.
The solution is simple. Use public transport, Uber, Lyft, or a properly marked taxi when traveling from the airport. For more detailed instructions, see how to get from the airport in New York.
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Free CDs from Local Musicians
While time has somewhat diminished this typical trap, it’s still good to know. In Times Square and other bustling parts of the city, rappers used to push CDs into tourists’ hands, urging them to listen to their work. Once the disc was in your hand, the rapper would demand a payment of the usual $5.00 to $10.00. He didn’t want the CD back, a situation often escalated by a group of the rapper’s friends suddenly appearing from nowhere. Would you pay or shoulder the bill?
Musicians often employed one more psychological trick. First, they’d ask for your name and then write it on the CD.
It’s best to ignore these solicitations, or decline them politely if necessary, but by all means, do not buy the CD. If you already have a disc full of their music in your hand, politely place it at the feet of the aspiring artist and walk away.
💬 Have you encountered another trick or scam in New York? Describe your experience in the discussion, and be sure to read the New York City safety article about how tourists get scammed in Las Vegas.
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