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.

Cow Dung, Rotting Chickens Poised to Beat Oil, Natural Gas

"...
Greed is motivating Wall Street to join the fight against global warming. New York-based Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the largest securities firm, made at least $68 million in six months from an investment in Climate Exchange Plc, an emissions trading marketplace that has tripled in value.
..."

Could it be the other way round? That someone spotted opportunities to make fantastic returns if governments, public and the media can be whipped into a fever of concern on global warming and green issues ...

A global scam? I heard that some media is now trying to get religious leaders and establishment involved ...

"That someone spotted opportunities to make fantastic returns if governments, public and the media can be whipped into a fever of concern on global warming and green issues ..."

Someone? Thousands of someones, surely?

Today we hear in the news that we are to spend 30m on newly appointed council employees who are to 'police' the non-smoking regulations that come in this summer.

Yesterday, in the nearby MIST thread, someone pointed out that it uses more energy to manufacture a wind turbine than it is likely to generate in its working life.

I'm tempted to start a subscription newsletter called Gravy Train Opportunities highlighting all the latest scares that open up new ways of making money.

TP

TP, do you need an editor ? :-)

axdpc. You'll need a title for your editorial section. How about " We're all doomed I tell ye!"
:-)

Bolshi :-) That may be too common. Most religions have been preaching and predicting doomsday for thousands of years. "I told you so" is too patronizing ...

axdpc, you're a natural, a saffron robe and a story for coping with doomsday and you could make zillions :-)

' How about " We're all doomed I tell ye!" '

I'm not sure that would work. If we are doomed anyway there is not much point in spending 30m looking for ciggies.

You need someone producing a strong enough PR campaign to make us think that if we all go on driving the wrong cars we'll start breeding kids with webbed feet - and then you start a Prius factory to cash in on it. The fact that manufacturing a Prius costs more energy than it saves is something you keep quiet.

TP

Kayak :-) Not a natural but became a reluctant cynic/realist after too many bad experiences, trusts and goodwills betrayed ... Anyway, happy with a few billion, don't know what to do with a zillion :-)

TP, religions and financiers have used fear, greed and deceptions for thousands and hundreds of year ... what's the third way?

Many degree students 'cheating'

"...
BBC education correspondent Sue Littlemore said it is estimated that 10% of university work from across the UK is plagiarised and that most cheating goes undetected or ignored.
..."

And they carry on the practices and habits into their working lives ...
Worked with people like that and one particular bad case lives up to the true meaning of the expression "arrogant shameless job squatter".

Not worth a new thread, but a scam nevertheless.

The Transport for London web site, in which you pay your congestion charge, has been inpenetrable this morning. I hold up little more hope for the phone alternative so will have to go and buy a ticket from a machine at lunchtime.

I wonder if anyone expected it might be a tad busier on the day they doubled the size of the zone.

Off in a Huff.

TP

Oh untrusting soul!!

The phone system did work.

And I thought it was a scam!

TP

At last, found the third leg of all scams and frauds ... guilt. Bit like those commercials, especialyy during Xmas, which try to stir up one's guilt when not wanting to load up credit cards to the limit to buy loved one everything we were told we should buy to show our affection etc ...

I am having an industrial unit refurbished.

The firm of estate agents (chartered surveyors) acting for me as my agent with my contractor have tried to scam me. I have fired them. If they dare to bill me, even partially, for any of their fees, I will counter sue them.

I have taken over the management of it from the young chartered surveyor, who was actually an 'only 3 years into the job trainee' survyor and a graduate. i know more about things than he does and his firm didn't tell me they were going to use a graduate. Their estimate for fees didn't reflect on this.

The contractor they appointed has also tried to scam me with the contract. I now have the Snagging List well on the way to being completed but some of the items on it are going to cost the contractor several k.

Other contractors thought my job was going to be a 'soft touch' and wouldn't be checked over thoroughly. I think they got such vibes from the young graduate surveyor.

Anyhow, it is going to cost the electrical contractor nearly 1/3rd of his quoted price for also trying to cheat me.

Last line of my e-mail this morning to the main contractor says:-

"From the tone of your e-mail this morning, which presses for almost immediate full payment and even before work has been finished properly or even inspected, I have to conclude from the nature of the problems being experienced and the nature of the snagging work still required, that it seems I now need to have maximum leverage with you. For the moment, until the snagging work recently discussed with XXXX XXXX has been done, and I have had the opportunity to inspect it, my offer to make an interim payment of 8,000 is now retracted."

Serves them right, eh?

Show me your willie!

Are they in cahoots with your garden designer perchance? :-)

Actually, it doesn't read like that, Kayak, but I do feel I'm a very reasonable guy. I start off by being really optimistic. I'm always giving out tips for this, that and the other, and when guys work at my house, they mostly get tea or coffee served in a cup and saucer on a tray with biscuits, bacon sandwiches, etc, etc.

But 'B*ll*cks to them' if they cheat me. They do get taught a fair old bit of a hard lesson.

"...
I'm a very reasonable guy.
I start off by being really optimistic.
I'm always giving out tips for this, that and the other, ...
get tea or coffee served in a cup and saucer on a tray
with biscuits, bacon sandwiches, etc, etc.
But 'B*ll*cks to them' if they cheat me.
..."

DocProc, I felt that. It mirrors many of my own experiences, professionally and otherwise, ... start off reasonable, optimistic, giving out tips and help, serves up the extras and goodwill ... then you find the smiles, the handshakes, the words, the guarantees, the gumhols, the ... are all calculated propaganda and spin designed to deceive and to exploit.

It is almost saintly to described these as B*ll*cks !

A very useful checklist acronym is ... A.B.C.D. - Absolute Bullshit. Contemptible and Despicable.

Elderly at risk at nursing homes

1.7m will have dementia by 2051

Some nursing home owners and investors must be dripping in glee and rubbing their hands in anticipation of easy money to come for decades ...

Strictly neither scam nor fraud, for now ...

Now banks are over-charging customers for information about their over-charging

The banks have the records on their info system. If the charges are illegal, surely it is legally obligatory, simple and more "green" for banks to do the calculation for all their customers and put right the wrongs ???

US targets $15m insider trading

The US has charged 14 people for their alleged role in a $15m (7.6m) insider trading racket.

The Securities and Exchange Commission says it is one of the biggest insider trading rings in 20 years and includes top lawyers and finance firms.

SEC enforcement head Linda Thomsen said there was "hardly a duty on Wall Street" the defendants did not breach.

The case claims individuals were given tip-offs about impending deals and stock upgrades, in order to make money.

Top tier

The SEC, which announced the case on Thursday, said insiders from Morgan Stanley and UBS Securities stole secret information from the firms.

"This conduct didn't occur in obscure boiler rooms - but rather at what are commonly considered "top-tier" Wall Street firms, " said Ms Thomsen.

The watchdog also claimed a Banc of America Securities broker took cash and two ex-Bear Stearns representatives got hold of secret UBS information.

The defendants also included three hedge funds, which the SEC said benefited most from the fraud.

The list of those charged includes Mitchel Guttenberg, an executive director and institutional client with UBS, who was charged with accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars as he sold information to David Tandy and Erik Franklin.

They in turn used the information to make money, the SEC said.

Ex-Morgan Stanley employee Randi Collotta and her husband Christopher Collotta were also charged.

A Morgan Stanley spokesperson said: "We are outraged that a former employee allegedly stole confidential information from the firm, and we have co-operated and will continue co-operating with the authorities."

Similarly, Bear Stearns and Bank Of America - Banc of America Securities' parent firm - said they would fully with the investigation.

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$15m, the biggest in 20 years? Sounds like small shrimps, at best.

On Thursday 8th March 2007 at 9pm in the UK, Channel 4 will show a documentary called "The Great Global Warming Swindle".

TP