6 Tourist Scams in New York City

You're walking through Times Square when a guy thrusts a CD into your hands and says 'here's a gift, man — check out my music.' You barely hold it for three seconds before he's right back in your face demanding $20, $30, sometimes $50. Refuse and suddenly his boys materialize from nowhere, blocking your path and getting loud. A r/AskNYC thread titled 'What are the most recent NYC tourist scams to avoid?' had dozens of people describing exactly this — being surrounded and intimidated on 42nd Street until they just paid to get away. The whole interaction takes maybe 90 seconds but it feels like hours.

You've been planning to see the Statue of Liberty for months, so when someone in Battery Park wearing a vest tells you they have tickets for a 'special tour' that includes access to the crown, you pull out your credit card. The tickets cost $60 each — more than the official price, but the guy explains it includes transportation and a 'VIP experience.' When you board the boat it's a generic harbor tour that never docks on the island. A r/nyc post titled 'The Statue of Liberty scammers are telling people they need tickets to enter the Battery' went viral because locals were watching tourists get stopped and told they couldn't access the FREE public park without buying tickets. Complete fabrication — the Battery is public land.

It was a hot July afternoon and your feet were killing you after walking through Central Park. The pedicab driver at the 59th Street entrance offered you a 'quick ride' for what seemed like a reasonable deal — no price was mentioned, just a nod and a smile. Twenty minutes later he pulled over and handed you a bill for $180 for a 10-minute loop. When you refused to pay, he blocked the sidewalk and made a scene until you handed over whatever cash you had. A r/nyc post documenting 'New York City cracking down on pedicab scams' showed exactly this scenario playing out with fall tourists near Columbus Circle, with multiple people reporting identical experiences in the comments.

The kids spotted Elmo and Spider-Man posing with tourists on the Times Square pedestrian plaza and dragged you over for a family photo. The costumed characters were enthusiastic, one on each side of your family, arms around everyone, big thumbs up. The moment the photo was taken they surrounded you demanding $20 per person, per character — suddenly you owed $80 for a 30-second snapshot. When you only had $20, they called you cheap and refused to let you pass until you handed it all over. r/visitingnyc warns about this constantly, with threads documenting characters at 46th and 47th Street near the TKTS booth being particularly aggressive about demanding tips.

You'd just landed at JFK and figured out you needed a MetroCard to get on the subway. A friendly stranger at Penn Station said he could sell you a card with rides already loaded — saved you the hassle of the machine. You paid $20 cash and he handed you a MetroCard. You swiped it at the turnstile and it worked once. On your second subway trip it was empty. When you went back to the machine to add value, you discovered it was a depleted card with exactly one ride left — the stranger had swiped it himself right before selling it to you. r/Scams had a post titled 'Almost fell for a NYC street scam' describing this exact setup playing out near Penn Station.

The waiter outside the Little Italy restaurant on Mulberry Street was so charming — he handed you a simple laminated menu with pasta dishes for $12-15 and said the food was incredible, 'just like his grandma makes.' Inside, you were seated and handed a completely different menu where the cheapest pasta was $32 and 'bread service' was $8. When you pointed to the street menu, he shrugged and said prices change inside. The final bill — for two people with a glass of wine each — was $140 plus a mandatory 20% service charge already added. Multiple r/AskNYC threads warn specifically about Mulberry Street restaurants doing exactly this during peak tourist season.