Reports of frauds, deceptions and scams keep appearing, weekly even daily, on
major news channels and newspapers. Some of these frauds seem just too big and remote to be of immediate, direct relevance to our daily lives. But, we will eventually pay for the consequences and damages, in taxes, costs of goods and services, regulations, copy-cats etc.

I hope we can collect, in one thread, frauds and scams, reported or heard. We must become more aware and more educated to guard against frauds and scams
which impact upon the health, well being, and wealth of ourselves and our families.

"Watchdog blasts rip-off mechanics

The entire car repair industry has been issued with a final warning by the National Consumer Council over "shoddy service and rip-off charges".

Trade bodies have failed to deal with customers' problems, says the council.

...

The NCC's undercover research on car repair shops suggests that consumers are often cheated.

Repairs that need doing are missed, unnecessary work is done, and consumers are often charged for incomplete repairs.

Women are deceived more often than men, according to the NCC.

...
"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4407627.stm

"'Rip-off' garages cost drivers 4bn a year
Alistair Foster, Evening Standard
4 April 2005

GARAGES and mechanics offer a "shoddy service and rip-off chargesthat could be costing customers an extra 4bn each year.

...
"

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money-savers/article.html?in_article_id=399425&in_page_id=2&ito=1565

Hi

We offer easy job to you.
We have contracts with 5 clients from UK.
They should pay our services only by bank transfer inside UK.
Our British representative has left for business trip.

You should have the account (or open new one) with one of this banks: HSBC,
Lloyds, Barclays.

Our clients will send money to your bank account.
You should withdraw cash in bank and take for yourself 10%.

You should send our 90% by Western Union or by MoneyGram to our office to
Russia.

PLEASE REPLY ONLY TO THIS EMAIL: X-STARS@KM.RU


Thanks,
Andrey Gorilenko.
-
X-Stars Group Ltd.
23 Lenina Street,
St-Petersburg, Russia.

Kayak,

presumably this is a variation on the old Nigerian fraud, where once they have obtained your bank details, they withdraw all the funds themselves?

They only want clearing banks, but not RBS, I wonder why?

"Phoney revenue forms con ex-pats"

Last Updated: Monday, 25 April, 2005, 08:51 GMT 09:51 UK

"Bogus tax forms, claiming to be from the Inland Revenue, are being sent out to unsuspecting staff working abroad in a bid to gain bank details from them.

British citizens overseas are receiving what professes to be a P86, for staff "Not Ordinarily Resident in the UK".

The taxpayer is asked to return the completed form, to Kensington House, 33, Imperial Square, Cheltenham.

But it is a "brass plate" address and the letters were being forwarded to Lagos in Nigeria.
..."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/4480379.stm

All LEGAL but it does leave bad tastes in the mouth and cause great alarms ...

"Private deals block Jamie's school dinners

Felicity Lawrence and Katharine Quarmby
Monday April 25, 2005

Guardian
The school meals revolution set in motion by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has already run into difficulties as long-term contracts with private companies prevent schools getting rid of junk food.

The Guardian has learned that new schools locked into 25-year contracts through private finance initiatives are finding that they cannot rid their menus of junk food despite the government's pledge.

Other schools are also running into problems as they discover that they face substantial financial penalties if they try to opt out of long-running contracts with private catering companies.

..."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5178651-103690,00.html


The bits that irk me was

"... Most Merton secondary schools are locked into a 25-year PFI contract with a company called New Schools. It has subcontracted all services for 25 years to Atkins Asset Management. Atkins has subcontracted again, giving a 25-year catering contract for the schools to Scolarest catering. ..."

IMO, either the original contract was grossly over-priced or the health of children are sacrificed by the process of two sub-contractings.

If this can be done to children, the most vulnerable and valuable parts of our society, what are being done to .... ?????????

And everyone takes a cut. What's left to pay for food?

A good scam or wot? Not! But it worked for SEVEN YEARS and 164 times and was successful in diverting over 825k into his personal account before he got caught.

"Ian Revue"? "I Revue?" "Inland Revenue?"

From http://www.timesonline.co.uk

April 27, 2005

Lawyer called himself Ian Revue to steal 800,000 in stamp duty
By Simon de Bruxelles

A CROOKED solicitor who set up a bank account using the name Ian Revue stole more than 800,000 intended for the Inland Revenue, a court was told yesterday.

Ian Macfarlane, 44, a senior partner in a company of specialist conveyancing solicitors, deposited 164 cheques from clients intended to pay their stamp duty into the account. He used the money to cover his daughters school fees, take his family on exotic holidays and even to pay his own tax bill.

The deception was simple. Clients would write a cheque for stamp duty made payable to the company. Macfarlane would then write out a company cheque made payable to I. Revue, in sloppy handwriting so it looked as though the payment was being made to the Inland Revenue, and deposited into his own account.

In total Macfarlane diverted 825,064 into the account, which he then withdrew and spent. Macfarlane earned 138,000 a year as a senior partner at Traill & Co based in Blandford, Dorset. But it was not enough. Over a period of seven years he got away with the fraud until a member of staff at the company became suspicious.

Detective Constable Paul Sullivan, of Dorset Police, said: What he did was open an account in the name of Ian Revue, who didnt exist. Because Macfarlane was an existing customer and a solicitor he didnt have to provide any identification for Mr Revue. On the day he opened the account he deposited a 635 cheque and was given a passbook. Over seven years and eight months he lodged another 163 cheques totalling 825,000.

Macfarlane was caught last July when a colleague became suspicious because he had written out a cheque on a property that did not require stamp duty. An investigation by the bank where the account was registered found that Ian Revue and his address in Bournemouth did not exist. Constable Sullivan described Macfarlane as a polished, calculating thief. He said: When we arrested him he had no idea he was under suspicion but was very calm and cool a true gentleman.

Macfarlane lived in the Dorset village of Winterborne Kingston in a five-bedroom converted barn and drove a Mercedes.

The judge at Bournemouth Crown Court, where Macfarlane admitted 26 charges of theft and asked for another 137 offences to be taken into consideration, told him that he faces a jail sentence.

Is this a scam? Is this a fraud? Likely to be widely practiced?
Probably not illegal but ...

"Equitable chief faked his reference"

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/38115.html

What did Apprentice candidates said about themselves ???

"Associated Press
Update 2: Spitzer Sues Intermix Over 'Spyware'
04.28.2005, 01:00 PM

New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sued a major Internet marketer Thursday, blaming it for secretly installing software that delivers nuisance pop-up advertisements and can slow and crash personal computers.

...

Spitzer accuses Intermix of redirecting computer users to Web sites where ads get displayed, adding unnecessary toolbars to Web browsers and delivering unwanted ads that pop up on computer screens.

..."

http://www.forbes.com/technology/feeds/ap/2005/04/28/ap1983927.html


Does it happen in the UK ???

Looks like an interesting publication!

http://www.stopspeedingtickets.com/

" Tough rules expose scale of bogus marriages
By Duncan Gardham
(Filed: 16/05/2005)

New regulations at register offices have exposed the huge number of bogus marriages involving immigrants in the past, it has been disclosed.

Since the Asylum and Immigration Act came into force in February the number of marriage applications at some offices has dropped by 60 per cent.

..."

http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&xml=/news/2005/05/16/nbogus16.xml

"Bogus bank drafts warning
NORTHUMBRIA Police are warning people to be on their guard against counterfeit bankers drafts.
Officers believe a bankers draft has been intercepted, possibly in the post, and counterfeited with the drafts sent abroad in batches where they are treated to remove all traces of the genuine payee details and amount.
The counterfeits generated from the original are then returned to this country.
Bankers drafts have always been a guarantee of payment as they are cheques written by the bank from peoples personal accounts.
DC Julie Kinghorn, of the Economic Crime Unit, said: Counterfeit cheques are common-place but a new twist to this is the counterfeit bankers draft.
It has always been suggested that when selling an expensive item privately, such as a car, you request a bankers draft instead of a personal cheque or cash.
But recently bed and breakfast establishments have been e-mailed to book accommodation for contractors working in the area. They ask for the full price to be paid and for a bankers draft to be sent covering the invoice.
Contact is then made saying theres been an error and their accounts department has combined the accommodation with the contractors payment.
They ask the bed and breakfast establishment if they will cash the bankers draft, keep the accommodation costs and send the balance to the contractor via money transfer.
The amounts on these bankers drafts have varied between 1,500 and 3,000. The accommodation cost is at most 300.
Those involved hope the victim transfers the money before the scam is discovered and while this is just one example there is no doubt there will be other variations on this theme.
Anyone with any concerns should contact the Economic Crime Unit on 01661 872555.
13 May 2005
"


http://www.northumberlandtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=1117&ArticleID=1023882

"THE cost of putting right bodged repair work by rogue tradesmen is 529MILLION a year.

Four out of ten home-owners have suffered substandard work in the last year, a report reveals.

...

One in ten people complained cowboys caused more damage than they repaired, Direct Line Home Insurance reported yesterday.

Half a million people were forced to employ a second tradesman to put the job right at an average extra cost of 955.

Carpenters were the worst offenders (11 per cent), followed by builders (eight per cent), plasterers (eight per cent) and electricians (seven per cent).
"

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005220136,00.html

Just had this standard text following an ad in Loot. Beware...

"Hello I'm interested to make an offer for of these item What's the present condition and how much do you want to sell it last? and I'm buying it urgently as a gift for my son's birthday.Kindly calculate the total cost which should include shipping cost by Royal Mail Service to Ibadan,23402 NIGERIA. I will be sending you money order by BidPay and I want you to ship upon receipt of my payment's approval from BidPay because of the urgency of this order.Kindly provide me with your full address and the name that will be on your Money Order if this is ok by you and if you agree to ship upon receipt of my payment's confirmation from BidPay. Thanks and God Bless as I await your swift response."

http://www.contractoruk.com/news/002109.html

Nigerian scam targets IT contractors

UK IT contractors are being warned to click clear of a bogus online job advert that demands candidates send their passport and $900 to an end-client in Nigeria, in the hope of earning $60,000 in six months.

(continues)

Here we go again:

Sir/Madam,
My name is Evgen Kuvaldin, Director of Softcom LTD.
We are a growing company in Ukraine. Our business nature is the
creation of financial and industrial software and sell them to
interested customers. We have 1 branch and several showrooms in Kiev,
Ukraine.

We have proved professional skills to our local customers and work on
international markets already, I mean Europe and the USA & UK.
Unfortunately we have faced some difficulties while receiving payment
for our software in the United States & United Kingdom as we do not have a bank
account to accept wire transfers and can't accept cashiers checks and
money orders as well.

At this time we are unable to open our own bank account in the US & UK.

If you are looking to make additional profit we will accept you as our
representative in your country. You will keep 12.5% of each deal we
conduct. We plan to forward our merchandise in exchange of wire
transfers and check payments. Your part is very important: accept
funds and forward it to us. It is not a full time work but a very
convenient and fast additional income. Being our agent may grow into
future branch opening in your area if you are interested and the
business will be on up and up.

Please respond ASAP and you will get additional details on how you can
become our representative. Joining us and starting business today will
cost you nothing, just some extra income for you.

contact us adamant@khalsa.com

Sincerely,
Evgen Kuvaldin,
Director of Softcom LTD. Marketing Dept



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The frequency of this types of scam make it look like part of the Curriculum from the School of Scams.

"OK, you hopeful villains. The project for this term is to devise a scheme to get people in the UK to send you some money ..."

I suspect the frequency of these scams implies more that there are people in Nigeria and other countries who sell would-be scammers a complete package of scam email, email addresses, mobile phone, and fake bank address...

Kayak, I think you are right. These late scammers probably lose out as people got wiser. In a way, it is a bit like stock market where the would-be traders were sold a complete package of ... :-) I suppose we are all mugs in one form or another, sometime we are lucky, sometime we got wiser, sometime we are still dreaming and often we just have not realised that we are victims!