New York, NY – You’ll never see them coming.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
A handful of clever grifters have been scamming unsuspecting passersby in midtown with just a pair of broken glasses, cops warn.
The con artists bump into their mark, flash a pair of prebroken glasses to the ground and then begin angrily demanding cash to pay for the “smashed” specs.
The scam has become so widespread that cops from Manhattan’s Midtown North Precinct put out flyers with the photos of some of the worst scammers – known as “fraudulent accosting recidivists” – for the sheer number of times they have run their schemes.
“The scam is an oldie but a goodie. The victims get flustered and sometimes turn over the cash just to get the suspect to shut up and leave them alone,” a police source said.
Nair (Naim) Jabbar had two pairs of broken eyeglasses in a bag when cops arrested him last month. The ex-con bumped into his latest victim on W. 53rd St. and Fifth Ave., court records show.
“You broke my glasses! You own me $125!” Jabbar, 41, yelled.
But when his victim asked him to come back to his office to figure out a solution, Jabbar slunk off, court papers said.
Jabbar’s 29-year-old lookout, Jshawn Lewis, had $1,478 in cash in his pockets, police said.
Jabbar has upward of 40 arrests – and more than a dozen convictions for similar scams – so cops expect to see him again.
“They run the scam, get caught, do a short time in jail, come out and do it again,” another police source said. “The only way to break it is to wise people up to the scams, so they don’t get taken.”
In this economic times people are creative to find a way to earn money.
That guy should sit for a long time, but its a pretty clever scam.
Call the police… A few years ago in the burbs someone claimed I hit her car and broker her mirror. It was already broken and I didn’t touch her car. So what happened? I told her to call the police and we’ll sort it out. She got in her car and drove away. I copied down her license plate number and reported her scam. The cops took a report and nothing happened.
I was scammed by one guy on 34 st. I was so scared for his anger that I told him I only have $60 and he took it. I was walking months later on 7th ave. And he bumped in to me again trying to scam me but this time Itold him that not again and he started running away.I hope he gets his time
I had it happen to me with a broken bottle of booze I laughed at the guy and he left me alone after some shouting
if u own a home with a side walk in front of it . make sure it is paved or if made of cement make sure squares are evenly set. Otherwise you are looking for real lawsuits
BLIND THEM!!!
I was scammed a few years ago by some lady in a parking lot who claimed that I scratched her door when I opened my car door. I looked at the scratch and it was old, so I drove away. The crazy lady got in her car and CHASED ME DOWN through the parking lot. I told her to call police and report me for “dinging” her car, and I drove away again. I never heard from her again.
Happened to me a few years back, this exact scam – I had just stepped off the Monsey Trails behind Port Authority and was busy Blackberrying when I shouldn’t have been – when this tall dude pulled this broken glasses shtick. Funny thing was while I believed him at first, I had exactly $3 on me – and when I showed him the $3 he actually said he’d take it instead of the $200 he originally demanded. So I handed him the $3 and said to him that if he needed to panhandle, he didn’t have to lie – as long as he didn’t buy drogas. He smiled and laughed and told me us Jews were just too dang smart for him as he walked away.
This happened to me on 8th ave and 38th st a while back, a big black fellow started screaming at me that I bumped into him and broke his glasses. I told him I have no cash and needed his address to send a check. He cursed me and ran away. But it was scary at the time
Kudos to #15 even if you’re straying off topic slightly. I did similar things but not as often. I offered a car ride to a teenager collecting money for a ride to the hospital to visit his mother. He changed his mind.
A guy collecting money for his brother’s tombstone. I offered to help if I was involved in the arrangement. Didn’t need it.
I did give a guy money to buy medicine for his wife who just gave birth and the Bris was tom. I checked the location and nothing doing or planned.
The way to combat this particular crime, is to carry around a pair of broken glasses in your own pocket, and produce them as well and start screaming at him he owes you money! See how fast he turns tail and finds another victim. Then you can chase him down demanding his money!
I had this done to me last year, I was in the train station on 50th st train station in manhattan and this guy between 18-21 bangs right into me, then starts screaming that I broke his glasses and he’s cursing non stop,
I just kept walking and told him if he wanted to then he could try to stop me. he followed me for 2-3 minutes then disappeared. 🙂
stand up for yourself guys!!
I think somone was teaching these guys Bovah Kamah. lol
I actually had this happen to me tonight. I asked for him to pay for my shoes to be fixed which he had stepped on the back of while starting his act. He gave up pretty soon after that.
I had this scam happened to me on 39th Street between Broadway and 5th Ave. I was walking minding my business, and in front of me was this husky looking black guy. I thought I had passed him but apparently, my hand bumped into his left hand and his glasses fell to the ground. I said sorry as he was picking them up and I thought everything was ok, so I kept walking. About a minute later when i crossed over to 5th Avenue, he approaches me and starts to huff and puff like he’s about to punch me or worse, and he shows me this ridiculously huge scratch on the glasses. At first, I couldn’t believe that the ground caused that big a scratch. And I said I was really sorry because I didn’t know if this guy had any intentions. Then he tells me that these glasses cost about $4,200!!! I don’t think you can even buy a pair for that much, but in anycase, I offered him $40 just to get him off my case, he said that’s not enough. Then I said I’d give him $100, but I only had $70 in my wallet. So he said that I can go to an ATM to get more. Just so things didn’t get worse, I went over and got another $40 and gave it to him and apologized again and moved on. Now that I saw this article, I can tell that this guy’s a con artist. I hope he goes to hell!
the same happend to me on 86street and lex ave two black guys where walking very slowing becareful they creep up next to you..i pass by him he bumped me just a bit and droped a pair of glasses on the side walk and said i broke his glasses saying its costing him 200 dollars to fix i walked away don,t give him shitt! theses two guys are geting every thing thats comeing to them and then some