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Frauds, Scams & Cons (General; Miscellaneous)

PeteS said:
Idly flicking through the news feeds I get bombarded with, I came across a lengthy article about an interview with Graham Norton and Rod Stewart, where the latter inadvertently let out his secret of making loads of money with a £250 stake and showed GN how to do it live on air. GN was amazed but the interesting thing was that the Bank of England rang the producers and got the interview stopped live on air.
There were many comments at the end from people who had made a fortune from a £250 with this particular company and a quick flick through Google showed lengthy articles from many financial commentators who came to the conclusion that the company on balance was wholly legitimate.
Except of course that the whole thing, all of it, is fake. I'd also forgotten that Graham Norton has been targeted by scammers who have included his name as a reference for their "legitimacy". Shows the lengths to which scammers will go to with fake articles fake commentators etc. It obviously involved crypto trading but simply a way of getting £250 and your bank details from you. I won't post a link or name the company because I suspect the links were dangerous anyway. (fortunately I have a virtually impenetrable fire wall)
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I'm on Quora and practically every third posting is some kind of 'how do I get very very rich very quickly with no money'. Sigh. If it were only that easy...
 
catseye said:
I'm on Quora and practically every third posting is some kind of 'how do I get very very rich very quickly with no money'. Sigh. If it were only that easy...
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Yes, and for me the other two posts are 'Who is the most ignorant American you've ever met?' and 'What is the worst example of of an ignorant/clueless tourist you've ever witnessed?'

I'm not sure whether these questions are bot driven or not but someone, somewhere is making a dollar from the clicks & views they receive.
 
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Lord Lucan said:
Yes, and for me the other two posts are 'Who is the most ignorant American you've ever met?' and 'What is the worst example of of an ignorant/clueless tourist you've ever witnessed?'

I'm not sure whether these questions are bot driven or not but someone, somewhere it making a dollar from the clicks & views they receive.
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Oh, I'm also getting 'can you answer this question?' which is usually writing based and would be answered by even the most cursory glance at Google. I'm not entirely sure that the whole of Quora isn't some kind of scam actually.
 
Ultra-marathon runner Joasia Zakrzewski banned for 12 months by UK Athletics for using a car in a race.

Zakrzewski accepted a medal and trophy for finishing third in the 2023 GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool 50-mile race on 7 April.
Tracking information later showed she travelled by car for about 2.5 miles before continuing the race.

Zakrzewski claimed she told officials she used a car and finished the race "in a non-competitive way".

"The claimant had collected the trophy at the end of the race, something which she should have not done if she was completing the race on a non-competitive basis," said an independent disciplinary panel.

"She also did not seek to return the trophy in the week following the race.

"Even if she was suffering from brain fog on the day of the race, she had a week following the race to realise her actions and return the trophy, which she did not do.

"Finally, she posted about the race on social media, and this did not disclose that she had completed the race on a non-competitive basis.”
In February, at the Taipei Ultramarathon in Taiwan, she won the 48-hour race outright - setting what was at the time a world record distance of 255 miles (411.5 km).

Racing for Great Britain in the IAU World 100km Championships, she won individual silver in 2011 and bronze in 2014 and 2015.

She also represented Team Scotland in the marathon at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

In 2020, aged 44, she won a 24-hour event in Australia with a distance of 236.561km.

She has set a number of records including the Scottish 24-hour record, the British 200k and the Scottish 100 miles record.
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I've got an 'older' customer (actually he's elderly, but fairly sprightly and quite 'young' in his outlook). He's been in a few times now buying Amazon gift cards. I did try to make a joke of asking what they were for and he gave me a convoluted answer which didn't quite ring true. He was in again the other day wanting a different type of gift card. We don't sell them, so I didn't ask what it was for - it could, quite innocently, have been a Christmas present for a younger relative, but given his quite large spending on the Amazon cards and his slightly strange reason for buying them - I am really hoping he's not being scammed. I've raised it with Management, but I can't stop him buying gift cards.

It's about £200 a time. And my spidey senses are tingling. But maybe I'm just watching too much Catfishing. I did tell him that no company would ask him to pay bills using Amazon gift cards and he dismissed that as a possibility but I hope he's not got himself involved with a 'Ukranian Beauty'...
 
catseye said:
I've got an 'older' customer (actually he's elderly, but fairly sprightly and quite 'young' in his outlook). He's been in a few times now buying Amazon gift cards. I did try to make a joke of asking what they were for and he gave me a convoluted answer which didn't quite ring true. He was in again the other day wanting a different type of gift card. We don't sell them, so I didn't ask what it was for - it could, quite innocently, have been a Christmas present for a younger relative, but given his quite large spending on the Amazon cards and his slightly strange reason for buying them - I am really hoping he's not being scammed. I've raised it with Management, but I can't stop him buying gift cards.

It's about £200 a time. And my spidey senses are tingling. But maybe I'm just watching too much Catfishing. I did tell him that no company would ask him to pay bills using Amazon gift cards and he dismissed that as a possibility but I hope he's not got himself involved with a 'Ukranian Beauty'...
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Speak to the police.
 

I lost THOUSANDS in QR parking code scam​


The 71-year-old fell victim to the scam, which involved covering over the real code on a car parking sign at Thornaby Station in Teeside.

After scanning the fake code, the woman was directed to a website which took her payment and extracted her card details.

Although the transactions were initially blocked by her bank, the victim was then convinced by a phone call from the fraudsters posing as bank staff, after which they had taken out a £7,500 loan within minutes.

Rail operator TransPennine Express has stopped using QR codes at stations.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/oth...t-left-me-having-sleepless-nights/ar-AA1k8zeg

maximus otter
 
maximus otter said:

I lost THOUSANDS in QR parking code scam​


The 71-year-old fell victim to the scam, which involved covering over the real code on a car parking sign at Thornaby Station in Teeside.

After scanning the fake code, the woman was directed to a website which took her payment and extracted her card details.

Although the transactions were initially blocked by her bank, the victim was then convinced by a phone call from the fraudsters posing as bank staff, after which they had taken out a £7,500 loan within minutes.

Rail operator TransPennine Express has stopped using QR codes at stations.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/oth...t-left-me-having-sleepless-nights/ar-AA1k8zeg

maximus otter
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Scams have been reported recently over the whole issue of only being able to pay car park charges by a code. In particular elderly drivers used to paying cash are getting to be victims of car park scams. I'm sure I will fall victim to something like this eventually.

One wonders how the fraudsters got hold of the victim's number in the above case. I don't give my bank my telephone number so that if "my bank" contacts me (which has happened on a couple of occasions) I know it's scammers. I'm quite happy to accept that the very occasional payment will be stopped due to some fraud algorithm.
 
Herr Cloaca said:
Speak to the police.
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I've spoken to management and they say that there's not much we can do - the gentleman has agency, is committing no crime and is perfectly free to spend his money as he wishes. But I might have a word with the next policeman who comes in to buy his lunch, just to get some advice. It's hard because I don't know where this man lives, or his name.
 
PeteS said:
Scams have been reported recently over the whole issue of only being able to pay car park charges by a code. In particular elderly drivers used to paying cash are getting to be victims of car park scams. I'm sure I will fall victim to something like this eventually.

One wonders how the fraudsters got hold of the victim's number in the above case. I don't give my bank my telephone number so that if "my bank" contacts me (which has happened on a couple of occasions) I know it's scammers. I'm quite happy to accept that the very occasional payment will be stopped due to some fraud algorithm.
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There was a You and Yours programme on Radio 4 the other day, talking about private parking charges and scams etc (I only heard a part of it) and it sounded like a nightmare. I parked in Thirsk Railway Station in the summer to pick up my brother from the train and there was only an app for parking. I couldn't get it to install on my (quite elderly and quite full) phone, so I just had to chance it. It was a Sunday, there were no staff about to ask, and there was only a few minutes before the train so I couldn't keep trying.

I wasn't there for long, and fortunately didn't get anything unpleasant through the post, but the sheer impossibility of finding ANY way of paying was incredibly frustrating. If I'd been catching the train my brother was on, heading to Newcastle for the day, I'd have had to have left the car without paying, and probably incurred a huge parking 'fee'.

I hate, with a passion, any car park that doesn't have a machine where you can either pay card or cash. The 'apps' are unnecessary, and, to my view, a bit eliteist (how are you supposed to pay if you don't have a mobile phone/your battery is flat?).
 
catseye said:
There was a You and Yours programme on Radio 4 the other day, talking about private parking charges and scams etc (I only heard a part of it) and it sounded like a nightmare. I parked in Thirsk Railway Station in the summer to pick up my brother from the train and there was only an app for parking. I couldn't get it to install on my (quite elderly and quite full) phone, so I just had to chance it. It was a Sunday, there were no staff about to ask, and there was only a few minutes before the train so I couldn't keep trying.

I wasn't there for long, and fortunately didn't get anything unpleasant through the post, but the sheer impossibility of finding ANY way of paying was incredibly frustrating. If I'd been catching the train my brother was on, heading to Newcastle for the day, I'd have had to have left the car without paying, and probably incurred a huge parking 'fee'.

I hate, with a passion, any car park that doesn't have a machine where you can either pay card or cash. The 'apps' are unnecessary, and, to my view, a bit eliteist (how are you supposed to pay if you don't have a mobile phone/your battery is flat?).
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Plus- wouldn't a Sunday have been free not so long ago?
 
Floyd1 said:
Plus- wouldn't a Sunday have been free not so long ago?
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Not in a station car park. If it had been an ordinary car park, probably (still is, at the market place in Thirsk), but people catch trains and go away every day of the week, so it's a terrific earning stream. Oh, the market place is about a two mile walk from the station and my brother has a disability, which is why I didn't just park there for free and walk!
 
maximus otter said:

I lost THOUSANDS in QR parking code scam​


The 71-year-old fell victim to the scam, which involved covering over the real code on a car parking sign at Thornaby Station in Teeside.

After scanning the fake code, the woman was directed to a website which took her payment and extracted her card details.

Although the transactions were initially blocked by her bank, the victim was then convinced by a phone call from the fraudsters posing as bank staff, after which they had taken out a £7,500 loan within minutes.

Rail operator TransPennine Express has stopped using QR codes at stations.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/oth...t-left-me-having-sleepless-nights/ar-AA1k8zeg

maximus otter
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I spotted this loophole years ago. There's nothing to stop anyone from sticking a fake sticker over a legit QR code. The stupid "app" doesn't say "this URL will take you to https://scammyscammers.org/scams, are you sure?" - it just goes there.
 
catseye said:
Not in a station car park. If it had been an ordinary car park, probably (still is, at the market place in Thirsk), but people catch trains and go away every day of the week, so it's a terrific earning stream. Oh, the market place is about a two mile walk from the station and my brother has a disability, which is why I didn't just park there for free and walk!
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Right.

I hate this 24/7 life we have now though.

Don't get me wrong, I'd be the first to complain if I couldn't get, say, any XXXL condoms of a Sunday, or some wine at 9pm in the week, but we'd soon learn to live with it.

And bring back half day closing on a Wednesday I say.
 
catseye said:
There was a You and Yours programme on Radio 4 the other day, talking about private parking charges and scams etc (I only heard a part of it) and it sounded like a nightmare. I parked in Thirsk Railway Station in the summer to pick up my brother from the train and there was only an app for parking. I couldn't get it to install on my (quite elderly and quite full) phone, so I just had to chance it. It was a Sunday, there were no staff about to ask, and there was only a few minutes before the train so I couldn't keep trying.

I wasn't there for long, and fortunately didn't get anything unpleasant through the post, but the sheer impossibility of finding ANY way of paying was incredibly frustrating. If I'd been catching the train my brother was on, heading to Newcastle for the day, I'd have had to have left the car without paying, and probably incurred a huge parking 'fee'.

I hate, with a passion, any car park that doesn't have a machine where you can either pay card or cash. The 'apps' are unnecessary, and, to my view, a bit eliteist (how are you supposed to pay if you don't have a mobile phone/your battery is flat?).
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I strongly suspect it's a way of collecting huge "fines". I regard them as such and not "charges". How these companies get away with it is beyond belief having regard to UK consumer protection law which clearly states that consumers are only required to pay a reasonable cost for goods and services, and what is reasonable "is a matter of fact". I doubt that anyone would regard a charge of £60/£90 for say overstaying by half an hour etc as reasonable. One motorist challenged this in the High Court but lost one of the reasons given was that parking companies should be allowed to make a profit out of these contracts. Bout time it was stopped.
 
PeteS said:
I strongly suspect it's a way of collecting huge "fines". I regard them as such and not "charges". How these companies get away with it is beyond belief having regard to UK consumer protection law which clearly states that consumers are only required to pay a reasonable cost for goods and services, and what is reasonable "is a matter of fact". I doubt that anyone would regard a charge of £60/£90 for say overstaying by half an hour etc as reasonable. One motorist challenged this in the High Court but lost one of the reasons given was that parking companies should be allowed to make a profit out of these contracts. Bout time it was stopped.
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Apparently there are changes afoot for parking companies, whereby fines will be pegged to those given by the local council for similar parking overstays, to prevent private companies from making huge profits. Although this could just mean that local councils put up THEIR parking fines...
 
There's a huge difference between parking fees and parking fines. The former are, in effect invoices for 'services rendered' and it's possible - though not advisable - to ignore demands for payment; it's down to the contractor to collect evidence then take non-payment to (civil) court. The latter - parking fines - are determined by by-laws and are fines - operated and prosecuted by criminal court - due for breaking the law. These are very hard to dodge and, frankly, the standard of evidence of wrong issue are higher.
Organisations such as railway companies, hospitals etc. sub-contract to administer parking space; they don't actually make money from it - the contractors do. So any limit on fees makes sense because if they were higher than fines, people would be encouraged to park illegally and, therefore, put strain on local government resources.
And I really doubt councils would increase their fines because it'd have to be established in by-laws which would be a whole new level of (costly) administration, requiring local government legislation.
 
Stormkhan said:
There's a huge difference between parking fees and parking fines. The former are, in effect invoices for 'services rendered' and it's possible - though not advisable - to ignore demands for payment; it's down to the contractor to collect evidence then take non-payment to (civil) court. The latter - parking fines - are determined by by-laws and are fines - operated and prosecuted by criminal court - due for breaking the law. These are very hard to dodge and, frankly, the standard of evidence of wrong issue are higher.
Organisations such as railway companies, hospitals etc. sub-contract to administer parking space; they don't actually make money from it - the contractors do. So any limit on fees makes sense because if they were higher than fines, people would be encouraged to park illegally and, therefore, put strain on local government resources.
And I really doubt councils would increase their fines because it'd have to be established in by-laws which would be a whole new level of (costly) administration, requiring local government legislation.
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This is pretty much what the You and Yours programme was saying - that any paperwork sent from a private company could be ignored, basically, although there was one poor man who was being hassled with letters from bailiffs regarding a parking fine (apparently completely illegally, according to the bloke who was the 'expert'). I guess they just make your life so unpleasant that you pay up.
 
Yup. In the same way you have the right to appeal decisions ... but the process to appeal is such a nightmare that you end up paying from frustrations.
Douglas Adams had it right in planning departments.
Bailiffs operate in the civil court. I should know - I used to work for a firm who had a sub-division of bailiff-seizure. Private companies cannot just send heavies around to collect a debt. They are very tightly-regulated and can only operate on a court order. Not before one is issued, not preempting a court judgement. This knowledge isn't useful when confronted by (unspecific) uniformed goons* looming over you, but as long as you make your objections clear then it's useful to get your stuff back after the event.

*There's been an increase in parking companies using 'enforcers' dressed like coppers, demanding payment on site. The firms are exploiting a legal detail in that nothing says 'police' but a stressed motorist blocked by three bullet-headed heavies arguing the point is ... emotional pressure.
 
Some real chancers about,


Handdrawn tax disc
IMAGE SOURCE,AN GARDA SÍOCHÁNA
    • Published
      2 hours ago
Police in the Republic of Ireland seized a car after spotting a hand-drawn tax disc on display in its window.

Gardaí (Irish police) from County Meath were on patrol when they made the "peculiar" discovery at the weekend. As well as being hand-drawn the tax disc had an expiry date of September 2023.

Displaying tax discs in the front window of a car was abolished in the United Kingdom in 2014.

However, most vehicle owners in the Republic of Ireland are legally required to display their motor tax disc if driving it in a public place.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq5pewy0wzvo
 
Stormkhan said:
Yup. In the same way you have the right to appeal decisions ... but the process to appeal is such a nightmare that you end up paying from frustrations.
Douglas Adams had it right in planning departments.
Bailiffs operate in the civil court. I should know - I used to work for a firm who had a sub-division of bailiff-seizure. Private companies cannot just send heavies around to collect a debt. They are very tightly-regulated and can only operate on a court order. Not before one is issued, not preempting a court judgement. This knowledge isn't useful when confronted by (unspecific) uniformed goons* looming over you, but as long as you make your objections clear then it's useful to get your stuff back after the event.

*There's been an increase in parking companies using 'enforcers' dressed like coppers, demanding payment on site. The firms are exploiting a legal detail in that nothing says 'police' but a stressed motorist blocked by three bullet-headed heavies arguing the point is ... emotional pressure.
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This was the gist of the experts comment - that using bailiffs was illegal if the case hadn't been through the courts. The person had no way of knowing whether the letters he was getting really were from bailiffs, of course, or just letters written on headed paper that purported to be from bailiffs.

The crux of his matter was that he'd tried to pay anyway, but the machines were coming up with 'no parking fee is required today'. He even took a photograph of the machine with that message up, but the company is having none of it.
 
He should hold out.
Firstly, they can threaten court action - but they'd only do this to intimidate. If I can see how weak a case they have - especially when there is a record of the 'faulty' machine's notice - then I doubt they feel confident the court would side with them. Should they continue, there's probably a strong case to take them to court to end harassment.
 
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