More Real Hustles
How to stay off the suckers' list
By Anita Rice
BBC News Magazine
As scammers employ ever-more sophisticated ways to con people out of their hard-earned cash, how can you avoid being duped?
Premium rate competition scams, bogus lottery "winning" tickets and other get-rich-quick schemes are just a few of the ways fraudsters can part the unwary from their money.
And while you might think only the very gullible would fall for these cons, Which? magazine recently estimated that 20m people were targeted by conmen in the UK last year, with 25% of those actually losing money.
'Global dimension'
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) says official figures are just the tip of the iceberg as many cons are never reported. Concern about the number of people being ripped off has prompted it to run a Stamp Out Scams campaign this month.
New technology has not only seen the number of scams rapidly increase over the past five years, but has added a global dimension to e-mail or post-based scamming which is more difficult to monitor.
"If you respond to just one scammer's e-mail, you could be put on a 'suckers' list which will be used again by - or for - another," says OFT spokesman Roger Hislop.
Scams are also the focus of a new secret camera TV show which exposes how the most common cons work and how to avoid being ripped off.
"For con artists, all scams are second nature; real hustlers play to their strengths and pick their 'marks' [victim] very carefully," says one of the show's experts, magician Alexis Conran.
So what scams are most prevalent and what can people do to prevent being stung? The TV "hustlers" say by simply following a few golden rules it is easy to trip up would-be tricksters.
POLICE SCAM
The con: It seems that most of us, when confronted with somebody in authority, a uniform or brandishing an official ID badge - no matter how dubious - just stop asking questions.
Fraudsters often dress up as figures of authority to pull off a scam. One example is posing as a plain-clothed police officer investigating a crime.
A fraudster may enter a jewellery shop ahead of their accomplice and try to buy an expensive item of jewellery. The purchase is then dramatically interrupted by a "police officer" who claims they were paying with counterfeit cash.
The shop assistant is usually so shocked they let down their guard, immediately trust the fake police officer and giving their forged ID a cursory glance. They are then talked into handing over an item as "evidence".
Avoiding it: Social compliance is a major factor in this type of fraud, says Mr Conran.
"As long as we look the part and talk with authority people are willing to believe us straight away," he says.
"The thing that surprised me the most was just how little people quizzed us, hardly anybody double-checked who we were."
Always check IDs thoroughly and never be afraid to ring head office - or even the station where a police officer says he is based - to double check people really are who they claim to be.
BOGUS LOTTERY TICKET SCAM
The con: While pretending to be an authority figure is one of the surest ways to carry off a successful con, it comes second only to the experienced hustlers' strategy of choice - play on other people's greed.
These scams rely on the conman successfully selling people something that looks like a bargain. One doing the rounds at the moment is a lottery ticket scam.
The hustler claims he has a winning ticket but cannot cash it in because he is about to leave the country or similar. Once convinced by the fraudster's story, the forged ticket is sold at a fraction of its "worth" to the unsuspecting "mark" or victim.
Avoiding it: They say you can't cheat an honest man, and most cons involve a certain degree of larceny on behalf of the victim, according to Mr Conran.
"In this world, if a good opportunity to get something for nothing comes along people jump on it," he says.
To avoid falling prey to this type of scam follow the old adage: If it looks too good to be true, it probably is, so people should just walk away.
THE RENTAL SCAM
The con: To carry off what has become known as the rental scam, hustlers get access to empty homes - either by breaking in, working as house-sitters or via rogue estate agents - then advertise the property as available to let.
While showing would-be tenants around, another member of the con team phones offering a deposit on the flat or house. The pressure is then on for the victim to cough up money immediately to secure the tenancy.
Of course, the home isn't available to let and the victim is often left hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
Avoiding it: To avoid being stung by this one, experts advise that people always check out the company claiming to rent the property and do not hand over money under pressure.
And remember, paying by cheque offers people no more protection than simply handing over cash. Fraudsters will cash cheques as quickly as possible before victims realised they've been duped.
THE MUSTARD DIP SCAM
The con: As people become more aware of street robbery the scammers are resorting to more elaborate ways of distracting people as they pick their pockets.
One person squirts mustard or another messy substance on the victim's clothes. Another member of the con team approaches the victim offering to help clean up the mess. In the process, they clear off with the victim's belongings too.
Avoiding it: Experts say the best way a person can deal with this situation is to keep their hands on their belongings if approached on the street.
Also, don't allow potential thieves to remove clothes while "helping you".
By Anita Rice
BBC News Magazine
As scammers employ ever-more sophisticated ways to con people out of their hard-earned cash, how can you avoid being duped?
Premium rate competition scams, bogus lottery "winning" tickets and other get-rich-quick schemes are just a few of the ways fraudsters can part the unwary from their money.
And while you might think only the very gullible would fall for these cons, Which? magazine recently estimated that 20m people were targeted by conmen in the UK last year, with 25% of those actually losing money.
'Global dimension'
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) says official figures are just the tip of the iceberg as many cons are never reported. Concern about the number of people being ripped off has prompted it to run a Stamp Out Scams campaign this month.
New technology has not only seen the number of scams rapidly increase over the past five years, but has added a global dimension to e-mail or post-based scamming which is more difficult to monitor.
"If you respond to just one scammer's e-mail, you could be put on a 'suckers' list which will be used again by - or for - another," says OFT spokesman Roger Hislop.
Scams are also the focus of a new secret camera TV show which exposes how the most common cons work and how to avoid being ripped off.
"For con artists, all scams are second nature; real hustlers play to their strengths and pick their 'marks' [victim] very carefully," says one of the show's experts, magician Alexis Conran.
So what scams are most prevalent and what can people do to prevent being stung? The TV "hustlers" say by simply following a few golden rules it is easy to trip up would-be tricksters.
POLICE SCAM
The con: It seems that most of us, when confronted with somebody in authority, a uniform or brandishing an official ID badge - no matter how dubious - just stop asking questions.
Fraudsters often dress up as figures of authority to pull off a scam. One example is posing as a plain-clothed police officer investigating a crime.
A fraudster may enter a jewellery shop ahead of their accomplice and try to buy an expensive item of jewellery. The purchase is then dramatically interrupted by a "police officer" who claims they were paying with counterfeit cash.
The shop assistant is usually so shocked they let down their guard, immediately trust the fake police officer and giving their forged ID a cursory glance. They are then talked into handing over an item as "evidence".
Avoiding it: Social compliance is a major factor in this type of fraud, says Mr Conran.
"As long as we look the part and talk with authority people are willing to believe us straight away," he says.
"The thing that surprised me the most was just how little people quizzed us, hardly anybody double-checked who we were."
Always check IDs thoroughly and never be afraid to ring head office - or even the station where a police officer says he is based - to double check people really are who they claim to be.
BOGUS LOTTERY TICKET SCAM
The con: While pretending to be an authority figure is one of the surest ways to carry off a successful con, it comes second only to the experienced hustlers' strategy of choice - play on other people's greed.
These scams rely on the conman successfully selling people something that looks like a bargain. One doing the rounds at the moment is a lottery ticket scam.
The hustler claims he has a winning ticket but cannot cash it in because he is about to leave the country or similar. Once convinced by the fraudster's story, the forged ticket is sold at a fraction of its "worth" to the unsuspecting "mark" or victim.
Avoiding it: They say you can't cheat an honest man, and most cons involve a certain degree of larceny on behalf of the victim, according to Mr Conran.
"In this world, if a good opportunity to get something for nothing comes along people jump on it," he says.
To avoid falling prey to this type of scam follow the old adage: If it looks too good to be true, it probably is, so people should just walk away.
THE RENTAL SCAM
The con: To carry off what has become known as the rental scam, hustlers get access to empty homes - either by breaking in, working as house-sitters or via rogue estate agents - then advertise the property as available to let.
While showing would-be tenants around, another member of the con team phones offering a deposit on the flat or house. The pressure is then on for the victim to cough up money immediately to secure the tenancy.
Of course, the home isn't available to let and the victim is often left hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
Avoiding it: To avoid being stung by this one, experts advise that people always check out the company claiming to rent the property and do not hand over money under pressure.
And remember, paying by cheque offers people no more protection than simply handing over cash. Fraudsters will cash cheques as quickly as possible before victims realised they've been duped.
THE MUSTARD DIP SCAM
The con: As people become more aware of street robbery the scammers are resorting to more elaborate ways of distracting people as they pick their pockets.
One person squirts mustard or another messy substance on the victim's clothes. Another member of the con team approaches the victim offering to help clean up the mess. In the process, they clear off with the victim's belongings too.
Avoiding it: Experts say the best way a person can deal with this situation is to keep their hands on their belongings if approached on the street.
Also, don't allow potential thieves to remove clothes while "helping you".
Labels: Con Games
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