Thursday 30 June 2011

Scams ,cheats and gullibility

About 20 years ago, a guy(the cleaner) at my husbands work ,was burgled.
Well firstly he was mugged of his take home pay as he reached his flat then the thieves stripped his home of everything and even took his bike.
He turned up at work and told everyone and they all rallied around with a collection of several hundred pounds.
My husband donated his bike so the guy could still make it in to work.
About a week later, he resigned.

Does that set off alarm bells in your scam  antenna?
It did in mine.

I was furious at my husband for giving his bicycle to this man when we were so poor ourselves.

I mean we have never been destitute but when we bought the bike,I lent the money ,which should have gone into savings ,until he could sell his bone shaker . The bone shaker was stolen by his brother and we never did put that money back in our savings. To me,that bike had cost us dearly .


15 years ago a man knocked on the door  and displayed the back of his van. He was fitting carpets in the new builds around the corner. These were the spares. My husband paid £20 (from an income where every penny was precious) for a 16 X 12 and hauled it inside,the man drove away. On unrolling the carpet, it was discovered to be 10 X 12 .too small for the room. 

They say you never get a free lunch, there is always a catch.

Unfortunately hubby is too trusting, he cant see why anyone does not have his best interests at heart. It has taken me being cuttingly cynical again and again to persuade him otherwise.


These days you are more likely to be scammed online.

People will email sob stories or fantastic,never to be missed opportunities.

It is easy to fall victim until you really think about it.

How did this stranger get your email?

What possible reason would a company have for offering you a job/diploma/winnings/vouchers when you have never heard of them?


Even more unpleasant are the appeals on the internet for 'help' with illness.

While I can see that this is a great way to reach people, it is also the problem.

It is a great way to reach people!

All that is needed is a donate button and a sob story.



Lastly are the bags left on your doorstep.

We seem to be getting one a week from various 'charities'.

Some are well known with official logos and charity registration numbers.

However, some have dubious wording.

They provide affordable clothing to the third world! (they are going to sell to the poverty stricken 3rd world in other words).

Look closer and some have a percentage that will go to the cause ,it isn't always very much.

Your generous donations are lining someones pockets.

Even the officially registered and bone fide charity bags are not always what they seem.

Who collects the bags?

Often it is bag thieves who case the area and help themselves.

These donations will end up on ebay or a market stall.


Ultimately, the charity bags which actually make it to the charity intended, will be charged for.

The charity pays for each bag regardless of what is in it so don't be tempted to fill it with holey underwear or torn books. One charity worker on a forum I read claimed it was £2 a bag.

Look at the TV and you will hear words twisted about every day to persuade the gullible.

A talent show is almost entirely populated by people who's loved one died unable to see them fulfilling their dream or who's family are virtually destitute and this is their one and only chance in life to 'make good'.

All that is needed is for the public to text or phone and this person will be made for ever.

Well no! Actually what will happen ,will be, your phone bill will rise by maybe £1.50 which is sent to the talent show's owners. Thousands of 'voters' will pay the talent host's mortgage and affluent life style and the poor sap who is making a ridiculous spectacle of themselves on Television, will be a nobody in less than 6 months having signed away most of their rights to a real career assuming they were anything to write home about in the first place.

All the other unplaced participants of the show will be ridiculed and any good reputation tarnished for years to come. They are the failures and will be made to remember that. Self Humiliation!
Isn't that the reason why the auditions for shows such as 'Opportunity Knocks' were held off camera and only the cream ever got to be filmed?

Of course some of them deserve the wake up call.

The pouting girls with their hard,course voices ,screeching out 'pop' songs completely out of tune ,then waiting for the applause, need to be shown the reality.

'Singers' with absolutely no resonance.

'Comedians' who are only funny to a room of drunk people.

' Dancers' with their skeleton showing or no visible physique under a mass of cushioning.

 All need to know how they are seen by others.

The Noel Coward song  'don't put your daughter on the stage Mrs Robinson' proves that this is nothing new.

....................................................................................................
Heh excuse my wingeiness just wanted to get that lot off my chest.

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