6/13/2008:

[Note: This is a Hoboken411 reader contributed article. Reader "Electric Eye" isn't working this week, and will be submitting one or more "vacation articles" each day! Thanks!]

Pulling a fast one at Newport Mall

Just a little heads up about a scam some people may be trying to pull. This actually happened to my mother over the weekend. I am sure we are all familiar with the parking garage at the Newport Mall and how it works. Why they make you pay to shop and provide business to their stores is another story. Any way, When you leave the garage you have to slide your ticket into the machine and it will tell you how much you owe. You can also hand the ticket to the teller and they will do it for you.

Well, it seems we have some opportunistic attendants at the Newport Mall’s garage. Here is what happened. My mother not really knowing how to work complicated electronic equipment handed the ticket to the attendant. The attendant told her that she owed $5 for parking. Not really thinking, she handed her the $5 bill, the gate rose and she proceeded out the parking lot. Then it hit her. She thought how can it be $5 , she was only there for 2 hours. She immediately went up to the attendant and asked to see her ticket stub because there is no way that it should have cost $5 since she was only there for 2 hours. The attendant got all flusted and said she was unable to find it. My mother asked how Can that be, I was the last car out of here, there was nobody else that went through. Then the attendant said, I no cheat you, Here, here, I take the money out of my own wallet for you. Yeah, right, why would she be so quick to pull money out of her own wallet? Could it be that’s where it went in the first place?

I am sure they wouldn’t try and pull this on someone younger but there are a lot of people that wouldn’t think twice and just hand over the money and drive on.

Technorati Tags: Hoboken, Jersey City, Newport Mall, Parking, Shopping