Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said on Thursday the department will be cracking down on con artists selling fake tickets to Liberty Island and the Staten Island Ferry, which is a free service.
Speaking on The John Gambling Show” on AM 970, Bratton said there will be a permanent detail down by Battery Park, like in Times Square, where a lot of these scammers are working.
“We have officers, units, details that specialize in that particular crime,” Bratton said. “We’re going to be putting a current detail of officers … down in that area so that we truly do have a familiarity with these cast of characters, the scammers.”
Bratton said its important, however, for the public to do their part in making sure they don’t get scammed.
“But the public really needs to be mindful of the potential to be scammed,” he said. “To the best of our ability, we try to deter that.”
The effort comes a few weeks after a 33-year-old tourist from Arizona was punched for refusing to buy the counterfeit Liberty Island tickets in front of the Staten Island Ferry. He then hit his head on the pavement and suffered a skull fracture.
