Rise in Con Games Reported in Downtown Shopping District

Two classic con games are being revived on Broadway, causing tourists to lose their money, downtown merchants to lose business and some victims to be beaten up if they are unlucky enough to win.

“Three card monte,” a swindle in which a dealer quickly scrambles three playing cards on a makeshift table then bets onlookers that they cannot pick out the one red card, is causing major problems on the popular shopping thoroughfare between 4th and 8th streets, police said. A similar shell game, in which bottle caps are used, is also creating a nightmare for merchants.

“The con men take up all the space on the sidewalks,” said Luz Patricio, owner of Abel Jewelry on Broadway. “People can’t even walk by. It is unbelievable on the weekends. Shoppers sometimes lose all their money before they can get to the stores.”

The cons have been played on Broadway for more than a decade, but in recent months police have reported a large increase in complaints, especially from merchants. They have arrested 46 people on Broadway this year for the crime, formally known as “theft by trickery.”

Victims are often unwilling to report the crimes to the police because many of them mistakenly believe they are gambling, said Sgt. Ellis Imaizumi of the Central Division’s vice squad. “But this is not gambling. They are legitimate victims of deception.”

The dealers usually work with a secret companion or shill who masquerades as someone taking a chance on picking the red card. The dealer makes a show of paying off the companion. To egg customers on, the dealer will often let the intended victim win a few small bets before upping the ante. When the stakes go up, so does the speed of card switching.

If the customer does happen to pick the right card when the stakes are high, the dealers will not pay off, police said. In some cases, just as the customer picks the right card, a companion will yell “Police!” and everyone will scatter. In other situations, if the customer complains or starts a fight, the dealer’s companions quickly come to his aid.

This year has seen a marked increase in violent incidents caused by the cons, police said. One of the reasons is that some new card dealers are unskilled.

“The newcomers are just not that good with moving the cards around, and often an intended victim is able to pick out the red card or the bottle cap,” said Imaizumi. “That’s when the fights start.”

Some operations are so sophisticated that police find it difficult to arrest dealers for the misdemeanor crime. Some groups have cellular phones, pagers and up to four lookouts to warn the card dealers when police are near, Imaizumi said.

Even when they are arrested, they are usually back on the streets within two hours because of a shortage of jail space.