Conman Tricks Woman Out Of $1,200 In Times Square Subway: NYPD

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — The NYPD is trying to identify a sly conman who convinced a woman to hand him $1,200 in cash in exchange for a stack of useless newspapers.

The schemer approached a 24-year-old woman in the Times Square subway station on Friday, Nov. 23 and asked her for directions to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Once the two got to talking, the con was on, police said.

The man told the woman that he was visiting New York from a foreign country and that he had just been robbed, police said. After the made-up story, the man asked the woman if she could hold onto his remaining money, which was wrapped in an orange bandanna, police said.

When the woman opened her backpack, the conman noticed she was carrying a large amount of cash, police said. The man then suggested the two combine their cash for safekeeping, and the woman agreed.

The conman pretended to combine both stacks of cash in the orange bandanna and told the woman that he was going up to the street but would be right back to meet her, police said. When the man never returned, the woman unwrapped the bandanna to reveal a stack of newspapers, police said.

The suspect is described as a bearded man in his 50s or 60s who stands between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-10 with an average build. He was last seen wearing a gray and black knit cap, a black coat and gray pants, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

Photo by NYPD