In 2005 the UK's Office of Fair Trading (OFT) launched a campaign in order to raise awareness of the most common ways in which people are conned. The OFT identified the top ten Scams targeted at UK consumers.
These are listed below and, if you look through them, you will see some patterns emerging. It should help you avoid being scammed - online or offline.
WORK-AT-HOME SCAMS
Advertisements for paid work-from-home schemes and business opportunities are often scams. Would be home workers who apply are asked for money up-front to pay for materials. After payment no more is heard from the parent company.
Another variation on this is where the company does actually send out some materials for assembly. These materials are usually very inexpensive. When the assembled products are submitted they are invariably rejected as they "do not meet the necessary quality standards". This method also gives the scammers a second bite at the cherry as they often sell a further kit with instructions for the necessary quality improvements to ensure acceptance in future.
Regardless of how good the quality is, the assembled items will never be accepted.
TELEPHONE LOTTERY SCAMS
Scammers impersonate representatives from a genuine lottery, such as the Irish Lottery or the Canadian Lottery. They make unsolicited telephone calls to their victims and advise them that they are going to be entered in a draw.
A few days later the victim receives another call to advise them that they have won a substantial amount of money. However, before they can receive their prize the victim must pay a fee for administration and taxes. The prize, of course, does not exist.
MATRIX SCHEMES
Often promoted online these schemes mainly involve websites which offering high cost electrical and electronic devices as free gifts in return for buying a relatively cheap product - for example a mobile phone charger. Consumers who buy the cheap product (take the bait) are then put onto a waiting list to receive their free gift.
The person at the top of the list receives their gift only after a predetermined number of new buyers sign up. The victims are usually encourage to hasten he process along by introducing their friends and family to the scheme. The large majority of people on the list never receive the prize.
PRIZE DRAW MAILINGS
The victim receives a notification by post that they have won a prize such as a holiday or a sweepstake draw. In order to receive the pies an administration fee or registration fee must be paid in advance. Once this is paid the prize will fail to materialise.
PROPERTY INVESTMENT SCHEMES
Potential investors attend a free presentation, the purpose of which is to persuade them to pay large amounts of money to enroll on a course which promises to make them a successful property dealer.
Some schemes involve the offer of buying as yet unbuilt properties at a discount. Others involve a buy-to-let scheme where the scammers offer to source, renovate and manage existing properties which they claim will provide good returns from rental income. The properties are often derelict and the tenants do not exist.
PREMIUM RATE TELEPHONE NUMBER SCAMS
The victim receives a notification in the post that they have won a prize - a holiday or a sweepstake. In order to claim the prize they need to call a premium rate number - usually beginning with 090 - which will incur high charges. Open there is a long recorded message and the prize simply does not exist.
INVESTMENT-RELATED SCAMS
The victim receives an unsolicited telephone call which offers the opportunity to invest in rare commodities such as diamonds, fine wines or shares. These investments are usually in areas which carry a high risk and where a high level of training, skill and experience is normally required.
The shares are not quoted on any conventional stock exchange. The diamonds, if they exist and are actually supplied, will be low grade and worth considerably less than the amount invested.
NIGERIAN ADVANCE FEE FRAUDS
This form of fraud has been around for many years. Many of the earlier scams originated from Nigeria, hence the name, but today similar variations can be seen from Iraq, Asia, Africa etc. The main requirement seems to be that the area should have recently had a war or some major political upheaval.
Today this type of fraud is mainly perpetrated via e-mail, but some traditionalist scammers may still use letters by post. The victim receives offer to share a large sum of money in return for using the recipient's bank account to transfer of the money out of the country. If bank account details are provided, the scammers may empty the victim's account.
Alternatively, the scammers may ask for money up front - usually for bribing corrupt officials in order to get the money out of the country.
CREDIT SCAMS
Another advance fee fraud, which often originates in Canada. Adverts are placed in local newspapers offering quick loans, even if the applicant has poor credit history. Applicants are told that their loans have been approved but they must pay an insurance fee prior to release. After the fee is paid, the victim will never hear from the scammers again and the loan amount will never be advanced.
PYRAMID SCHEMES
Pyramid schemes, sometimes called Ponzi schemes, offer a return on a financial investment which is based upon the scheme continuing to grow as new members join the scheme. The money from new investors is used to pay earlier investors - robbing Peter to pay Paul.
After a while the pyramid will collapse as it reaches the point where there are not enough new victims entering to pay off the earlier investors.
These top ten "hall of shame" scams are outlined here in fairly broad brushstrokes. Nevertheless, hopefully you can see some common patterns which will help you to avoid being scammed in future.
Hamish Hayward
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