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Very common in NYC. Someone on the street will ask you to "have something" or "check out something I'm giving away for free", acting as if it is a gift.

As you walk away with said thing, that person will accuse you of stealing and use it as means for a physical altercation.

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I'm not sure why someone would do this just to start a physical altercation which seems more likely to get someone in trouble for seemingly no reason. What I've actually seen in NYC is people offering something like a "mix CD" and then ask you for money once you take it.

I see this often in Seattle, especially near the tourist attracting areas. I had a friend get sniped by it and they ended up arguing with the scammer for 20 minutes. Absolute waste of everybody’s energy, I’m surprised it’s not treated as a form of harassment by the authorities.

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