Possible duplicate of What's the deal with the "string people" in central Paris?

This closely duplicates: travel.stackexchange.com/questions/13300/… . It may stand on its own merits if it is considered in the context of NYC vs. Paris. Telling someone off in NYC has a different social impact than in Paris. Police procedures in either place are also different. However the fundamental scam is EXACTLY the same and general attitudes and strategies apply in either case. I flagged this before reading the answer below, whoops.

Get in shape yourself.. get bigger than the biggest of them ;)

I read these scam questions with interest as we went through hell for a few days with similar scams in Addis Ababa. We learned over time how to spot them coming, the trick is to let them lose hope before they invest any energy in to the exchange - logic is that once they've stood up or whatever then they may as well follow through with their BS. If you can catch them earlier by wagging a finger and saying 'NO' before they have a chance, then you're all good. Have fun ;)

Also remember in places like NYC, these guys approach hundreds, if not thousands of people a day. Don't feel bad when you are walking and they start to come up to you, to just say "No thanks" and keep walking. They'll likely just move on to the person behind you. They likely plan on you stopping to engage them, so you don't seem rude, and they then give their spiel. Once you engage them (this applies to most salesmen of any type!) they're going to get the upper hand, in a sense. Best to just politely say "No thanks" and keep on your way.

@BruceWayne exactly, they are depending on your provincial sense of courtesy, as if you care about them thinking you rude by your standards. When in NYC, I "am" someone who has seen it all before, has zero time and is even ruder than a New Yorker.

Incidentally, this scam happens in lots of cities now - I had it happen to me in Seattle about a year ago. The recordings CD I ended up with didn't even have anything to do with what was printed on the sheet (also it was godawful). Now I just say "no thanks."

I try to just laugh and dodge people while moving quickly as if in a hurry when I'm worked on like this. Usually they don't want to move too far from their starting position. Sometimes your just in too big a hurry to get into one of these conversations. They can't follow after everyone who's moving quickly, and they probably detect your willingness to give in.

Just as a side note, this "scam" happened once to me in Hamburg, Germany. A well shaped guy handed me a "free teaser from his new album" What I thanked him for, He then said "If you enjoy it, you can give us an appropriate donation" and I said "I will". Since I had to hear it first before knowing I enjoy it, I had not realized that he actually is demanding money, when I realized I was already so overwhelmed (aspie here) by the situation that I wasn't able to really act rational anymore and explained him not having money with me. He just graped his CD and pushed me away.

FWIW when I take my kids into Times Square I look and sound like a tourist, even though I’m not, and that hip hop CD scam is the only one I paid money to escape from. It’s very intimidating. Don’t beat yourself up - there’s a reason it’s so successful.

I had this happen to me recently when I was leaving Times Square. I wasn't in a hurry so I talked to the guy for a bit. It was fun watching him do his spiel, he was a really good salesman. And then when I was done I told him sorry and handed him back the CD. He then started hitting me up to donate to the Negro something... Told him no again and walked off. It was high pressure sales but I didn't find it intimidating, more entertaining.

Accept the CD, put it into your work computer, watch Wall Street collapse.

The worst thing you can do with these kinds of people is be timid. Don't act confused, don't act amused. Don't engage. DEFINITELY don't take your wallet out. Just put the CD on the ground and walk away. It might help to visibly laugh to show you're not intimidated. I used to work near Times Square and I see crews of thugs try and roll tourists in this manner all the time. They feed on timid people. They aren't going to waste their time on somebody they think they won't get anything from without a fight.

I live in New York City. I grew up here in the 1970s and 1980s. It baffles me that anyone would be confused as to what to do: Ignore them, say nothing and go about your day. The advice to call “911” is utterly nuts. You will probably increase your chance of being assaulted by doing that. They know it’s a scam and so should you. Just say nothing and don’t even give them your name. They surround you? Just keep on walking past them. They will quickly turn their attention to someone else real quick. But again, does this really need to be explained yet again? Strings or CDs all tolls of a con.

I think New York and Paris have significant enough cultural differences that this question shouldn't be closed as a duplicate of one about Paris. Even though the answer is, ultimately, the same, the question is different.

@JakeGould You're baffled because you're completely familiar with the situation. A foreign tourist (who, for example, lives in a country where guns are illegal and who reads endless stories in the news about gun violence in the US) doesn't have your background, so doesn't know what to do. You might think it's obvious to just keep walking when surrounded by people who are threatening you but a lot of people will be wondering, "Am I being mugged, here? If I'm being mugged, I should co-operate to avoid getting hurt." Where's the borderline? That's what the question is about.

Always walk with someone you don't like. If you see scammers coming to you, just say "Hey, my friend loves listening to hip-hop and discovering new talents!" and leave.