there's a few things with this:
first the new york post should be sold on the comic book rack next to Superman and Thor...its a complete embarassment.
second, i don't doubt what they're saying at all. It's the regional mentality in these parts (NJ/NY)...people seem to feel (many...not all) that if the seller doesn't come up with some elaborate system to detect theft or "skimming"...then they deserve to be taken advantage of. i disagree completely. Know the difference between right and wrong (its obvious 99.9% of the time) and hold the line.
third, i have a feeling that while this scam is carried out...it is a somewhat outlier and doesn't really represent a significant problem at this juncture.
Fourth, rags print garbage...and this shouldn't ever make it into a respectable "news" paper.