On Sat, Feb 21st '09. I was walking on 23rd Street and 6th Ave when a man (in his thirties) driving an expensive SUV with a thick Italian accent stopped me to ask for directions to EWR airport.

He first asked for directions and then asked me the size of my jacket which I found odd. He went on to explain that and he was a designer and was in NYC for the first time on work. He said he just finished an exhibition at the Jacob Javitz Center and was heading to the Airport. He had these three leather jackets that his employer had given him and which he didnt want to carry back to avoid the VAT in Italy. He asked if I could help him and buy the three jackets for $700.

I told him I had no money but he was persistent... (at which point I should have just walked away) I still ended up going to my ATM and landed giving him $250 for those three jackets.

As soon as he got the money, he sped off and I just knew I had been conned. On examining the jackets further, I discovered there were only Reportage RGA jackets and not Armani as he earlier claimed amongst all the other lies he gave me.

I am extremely pissed at myself for not having been more cautious. While I was buying this off him, I felt like I was helping out a foreigner in our country and so should help him. I also thought if I didnt like them, they would yet make good gifts or atleast I could sell them and make my money. Now that I checked the Internet and discovered that several people have been similary conned, I dont even feel like gifting them to anyone else.

Please beware and if you notice the s*cker around, try and get his number plates and hand the dude over to the police.