View of the Theater District from 43 floors up inside the Westin Times Square

Scammers Who Dress Like Monks
I’ve warned about staying away from costume characters in New York’s Times Square and elsewhere before. Well, new costume characters to be wary of are fake monks, especially in New York City, and that’s according to local Buddhist leaders, per the AP:

“Men in orange robes claiming to be Buddhist monks are approaching visitors to some of the city’s most popular attractions, handing them shiny medallions and offering greetings of peace. They then hit them up for donations to help them build a temple in Thailand, and are persistent if their demands are refused.”

A monk who I suspected was just a scammer in costume approached me recently in New York City, but I knew how to handle it. I’ve learned all over the world to never take anything from strangers. Scammers try their hardest to trick people the world over, and the best thing to do—anywhere—is to just keep on moving. If you’re sitting down and someone places something on your table, just ignore it (and them).

FYI: The view above is from the Westin Times Square, a nice hotel (as written here) near one of the centers of this sort of scam.

 

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2 Comments On "Travel Tip of the Day: Scammers Who Dress Like Monks"
  1. Rick|

    We just saw the exact same scam being done in Boston.

  2. Kevin|

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