Every year, international students at NYU are victims of "con games." A confidence game is an elaborate scenario created by a criminal in order to obtain your money or possessions. The criminals who carry out con games are extremely believable and skilled and can make an "accident" or unusual situation seem real. Afterwards, students feel embarrassed at being fooled and by the fact that they lost several thousand dollars. It is very important that you report any such crime immediately to NYU Protection Services or to the NYPD.

Here are some ways to avoid being a victim of a con game, from the NYU Protection Services:

• Never make cash transactions in secret. Discuss any large transaction with a banker, spouse, parent, friend, or someone else you know and trust.
• Avoid taking strangers to your apartment.
• Avoid riding with strangers, whether it is in their car or yours.
• Do not give money to strangers on the street unless you can spare the money and do not expect to get it back.

Some common examples of con games from the New York Police Department:

• A card game on the sidewalk. It may appear that other people are winning or that you can win, but you will not. These are staged games and your money will be taken from you during or after the game.
• A person who "finds" something of value, usually a bag of money, that s/he offers to split with you, but to do so, s/he wants something of value from you as a sign of trust. Often victims are directed to withdraw several thousands of dollars from their bank accounts. By the time you get your part of the "money" you will find it is pieces of paper with no value.
• Someone who offers to share a winning lottery ticket.
• A request for a donation to a "charity" that does not exist.

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