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tarantula
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19-08-2019, 09:12 AM
1

Gullibility

I find it incredible that some people are so gullible they are taken in by scams, especially ones that ask you to put money up front in order to supposedly receive a lot more. I think it is much wiser to be suspicious, about any postal mail, e-mail or phone calls, which claim you have money coming to you, or you have a problem with your internet connection, bank accounts etc. Always thoroughly check the validity of these claims first.

I am also struck by the gullibility of people who are star struck by celebs, when they are just ordinary people like the rest of us with faults and failings, some are good decent people of course, others are attention seeking scum. I have met in person a good number of people in the public eye over the years, so I have some idea what I am talking about.

DON'T BE TAKEN IN.
keezoy
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19-08-2019, 09:24 AM
2

Re: Gullibility

I agree totally Tarantula. Your advice is sound. Trouble is getting people to take it. Sadly some people will just go ahead and do what they want or how fancy takes them in spite of all the good advice in the world. Many people don't have the experience or the skill to deal with scammers. Some of whom are very experienced and skilled. I was almost fooled the first time I got a call thus.."This is Windows tech department. YOur computer is showing that it may have been compromised..blah blah..ending with..if you can allow us remote access we can fix this problem for you ..cost is $100 blab blah.. via credit card." My son saved me from this when put them on speaker..Dad!..it's a scam!..hang up"...Never again. I was fooled.
Tezza
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19-08-2019, 09:31 AM
3

Re: Gullibility

My first line of defence with any of this type of call is to tell the caller that I have an urgent appointment that cannot wait then suggest they leave a name and number and I will get back to them. Surprise surprise as of yet no one has complied with my request.
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19-08-2019, 09:34 AM
4

Re: Gullibility

Some scams are incredibly well set up though. I wouldn't get caught by email scams they tend to look scammy but we did respond to someone advertising a holiday chalet when we were looking for a static caravan. Man seemed really genuine, he showed us round the chalet and we spoke we thought to the park owner. Went home to talk about it and paid a deposit 10 days later. We then discovered when we returned to the site for another look alone that we hadn't spoken to the owner of either the chalet or the site. They had set us up well. We never got our money back and we have watched in horror as time and again that chalet is advertised. Police say it's not something they can deal with, we tried to get a solicitor to help stop them but they couldn't find a way to prevent it either. So this man is sitting pretty taking £1000 deposits at least 6 times a year and disappearing off to portugal to live a happy wealthy life.

I really challenge anyone to know that was a scam when it happened.

Icing on the cake is we got the council tax bill two years running for it too. Thankfully the council lady we dealt with looked at all our correspondence and accepted we never owned it but as far as I know they never got paid by anyone for the taxes due.
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19-08-2019, 09:44 AM
5

Re: Gullibility

The only time I was caught in a scam was when I sent for a free sample of a new miracle wrinkle cream. Yes I know it's too good to be true but it was a free sample!!

I had to pay £1.99 postage - which I did!!

Big mistake!!

They had joined me in a 'beauty club' and a month later they sent me a full size jar of this cream & a charge for £100!!!

I was frantic but my wonderful bank (Nationwide) told me not to worry - they would pay me the money back. Sure enough the next working day the £100 was back in my bank account. I expect banks are used to deling with frauds like this.

I heard no more.
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19-08-2019, 10:27 AM
6

Re: Gullibility

Originally Posted by Julie1962 ->
Some scams are incredibly well set up though. I wouldn't get caught by email scams they tend to look scammy but we did respond to someone advertising a holiday chalet when we were looking for a static caravan. Man seemed really genuine, he showed us round the chalet and we spoke we thought to the park owner. Went home to talk about it and paid a deposit 10 days later. We then discovered when we returned to the site for another look alone that we hadn't spoken to the owner of either the chalet or the site. They had set us up well. We never got our money back and we have watched in horror as time and again that chalet is advertised. Police say it's not something they can deal with, we tried to get a solicitor to help stop them but they couldn't find a way to prevent it either. So this man is sitting pretty taking £1000 deposits at least 6 times a year and disappearing off to portugal to live a happy wealthy life.

I really challenge anyone to know that was a scam when it happened.

Icing on the cake is we got the council tax bill two years running for it too. Thankfully the council lady we dealt with looked at all our correspondence and accepted we never owned it but as far as I know they never got paid by anyone for the taxes due.



I can't understand that police attitude at all, Julie.
A crime was committed and should have been dealt with.

Pity you didn't go straight to Action Fraud, who deal with a lot of cyber crime.
You could have reported it yourself, online.

Shutting door after horse has bolted now though.
Julie1962
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19-08-2019, 10:31 AM
7

Re: Gullibility

Originally Posted by Mups ->
I can't understand that police attitude at all, Julie.
A crime was committed and should have been dealt with.

Pity you didn't go straight to Action Fraud, who deal with a lot of cyber crime.
It's to do with where the man is domiciled Mups, he lives in portugal so they would have to apply for extradition and I could see their point it's a lot of expense for a fraud that wasn't worth very much at all. It also wasn't cyber crime as we met him and his friend and saw the actual property.
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19-08-2019, 12:19 PM
8

Re: Gullibility

Originally Posted by keezoy ->
I agree totally Tarantula. Your advice is sound. Trouble is getting people to take it. Sadly some people will just go ahead and do what they want or how fancy takes them in spite of all the good advice in the world. Many people don't have the experience or the skill to deal with scammers. Some of whom are very experienced and skilled. I was almost fooled the first time I got a call thus.."This is Windows tech department. YOur computer is showing that it may have been compromised..blah blah..ending with..if you can allow us remote access we can fix this problem for you ..cost is $100 blab blah.. via credit card." My son saved me from this when put them on speaker..Dad!..it's a scam!..hang up"...Never again. I was fooled.
Unfortunately, not everyone is as savvy. I recall once about one of the original scams (Nigeria) to come about in the UK.
Anyone recall receiving a very posh looking, glossy marketing poster with your name printed on it, advising you that you had won an overseas Lottery.
Because this was the advent of scams, many were taken in by it, Solicitors, a Barrister, Businesspeople, Clergy.

Many usually sensible people one would never envisage ever being taken in, were. Willingly giving out their bank account details for the win to be paid in. Even my own brother, who is a shrewd businessman, brought the poster down to show me. (thankfully, always get advice from Big Sis first).

It was only when I actually said to him: "Are you mad? Have you actually previously been paying money to play this overseas Lottery? No? so how can you have possibly won then? Can't you see it is a scam to get hold of your bank details? Can't you see that this is a case of "If something is money for nothing, something is wrong?" Thankfully, the light went on in his brain and he realised how he was being scammed. DOH!

Another brother was almost taken in when Nigeria kindly started to phone us and inform us our computers had been compromised. Luckily, he phoned me first to get advice as he is like most of us old un's, not techno savvy, and I was able to put him in the picture.

Now, those two brothers of mine, when young, were as sharp as knives when it came to business dealings. They were so savvy they could give someone like Alan Sugar a run for his money. But to think that either of them now pensioners, could ever be so naive as to be fooled by what was obvious to me, scams in both cases, worried me.

If these scammers can fool my two brothers, solicitors, a barrister and countless business people. How many others out there have been scammed and coshed, yet too embarrassed to say anything.

It is rather worrying. Some pour souls will suspect nothing until it is too late and their precious savings have been emptied from their bank accounts.
Julie1962
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19-08-2019, 12:23 PM
9

Re: Gullibility

I think some people like us don't tell lies so we are absolutely floored when anyone lies to us, it's naive perhaps but if you haven't harmed anyone and don't lie it's easy to believe others will be treating you with the same honesty.
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shropshiregirl
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19-08-2019, 12:39 PM
10

Re: Gullibility

Originally Posted by Julie1962 ->
I think some people like us don't tell lies so we are absolutely floored when anyone lies to us, it's naive perhaps but if you haven't harmed anyone and don't lie it's easy to believe others will be treating you with the same honesty.
Quite true Julie. Our generation and those before us, have only ever known and expected honesty and truthfullness and expect the same from others.

It must come as a shock to them to realise that the world now is a much nastier and dishonest place, and there are many unscrupulous scammers out there just waiting to empty their bank accounts without a care in the world.

Unfortunately, It's a hard and painful lesson to learn. Especially if they have fallen for that scam.

It's very sad.
 
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