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[Genem]

As "Postal Secretary" I get all the mail from the Club's PO Box and send it on to the appropriate Club officer. As 99% of it is "Membership" related that works well...

Today, however, I got something a bit different... A high quality envelope with a two page letter and pre-printed SAE to an address in Paris, purportedly relating to the Classic Motor Show in Birmingham, asking for confirmation that the information held on file was correct for our free entry in a Trade Directory, the whole lot coming from a company registered in Costa Rica.

"Wow, we have hit the international Big Time !! " could be the initial response.... till I read a bit deeper into the literal "fine print". Had I actually ticked all the boxes, signed the form and fired it off what I'd actually have been doing was signing to agree to purchasing on-line advertising space on a website...for 1212 Euros a year for the next 3 years, invoice to follow....

Clever stuff and doubtless enough poor suckers sign and then get bullied into paying when the invoice arrives...  A step up from sending random invoices for £50 to companies in the hope they get paid...



   

[Larry S.]

Scammers are getting really good.  Got one from 'PayPal' that was so good they had a hard time figuring out it was a scam and not an official email from themselves!

[Alan Drover]

I have a very distrusting mind and I'm always suspicious of anything sent via email/ text that I'm not expecting.
Fortunately I don't do online banking. Our landline has a call blocker that puts scammers off and prevents sequential dialling getting through.

[Genem]

Manxcat suggests I wrap up the Argos catalogue and tape the envelope to it...

I'll certainly send it back with something in it.  A picture of a single digit perhaps.

[BettyWhite]

I get a scam email about a "failed delivery" virtually every day.

They appear to come from Royal Mail, Hermes, DHL and any other courier that you can think of.
Some are indistinguishable from genuine emails, it's only because I'm a miserable git and nobody ever sends me anything that I know that they are scams.

Be careful out there!
BW

[Alan Drover]

I get a scam email about a "failed delivery" virtually every day.

They appear to come from Royal Mail, Hermes, DHL and any other courier that you can think of.
Some are indistinguishable from genuine emails, it's only because I'm a miserable git and nobody ever sends me anything that I know that they are scams.

Be careful out there!
BW

I go with the miserable git too.

[BettyWhite]

Ouch!

[genocache]

I phone calls from "Susie" telling me my car warranty has expired and to push 1 to renew.   My only car is my 1960 LR.

[gilbo]

I phone calls from "Susie" telling me my car warranty has expired and to push 1 to renew.   My only car is my 1960 LR.

Seems to me 'Susie' is right!!!!
Maybe you should press 1 

I had am email today from Netflix ............. apparently my (non-existant) subscription has expired and they are having trouble getting the bank to pay ........
Laugh...I nearly started!
I would just like 5 minutes in a room on my own with these people who regularly ring, text, email .......... I have a feeling they would be able to do it again - pretty difficult with broken fingers!!!

[Larry S.]

I phone calls from "Susie" telling me my car warranty has expired and to push 1 to renew.   My only car is my 1960 LR.

Do you ever talk to them?  I have.  They start back-peddling when I tell them I have a '63.

[Exile]

I received a phone call from my village Garage yesterday, saying my MOT had expired.

I told them to  off!


Unfortunately it WAS my village Garage.


You can't win 'em all.......

[dartymoor]

This sounds like the company my Mother was conned by for a charity, except that was based in Spain. It locked you into four payments for this "Global internet directory" website, each of which was around £2,000. The directory was a plain text list of companies with no SEO, literally just a file four links deep on their own website.

She came to me with it when the first large invoice came in, and I spoke to Trading Standards who were extremely knowledgeable about this company, which changed its name every year. It's possible it's the same one which now has a different country's address.

Trading Standard's advice was simply, "Chuck it in the bin, and with every subsequent letter". I kept the letters, there were about six of them in total before they gave up, all threatening legal action.

This was about ten years ago, so it's sad that it's obviously worked enough times for the model to still be around.

[Genem]

^^^^ Its obviously worth the "brass neck" approach and being prepared to send a stream of threatening letters. It ties back to the tactics of the "private" car-parking thieves, nice honest people will pay up rather than have the worry created by official looking "demands".  At 1200 Euros per "success" they can afford a significant failure rate. In this case their "target" list is handily created for them by the event organisers publishing lists of stand attendees.

 

[Worf]

Manxcat suggests I wrap up the Argos catalogue and tape the envelope to it...

I'll certainly send it back with something in it.  A picture of a single digit perhaps.

I find that is a good way of recycling empty cat food sachets. The football pools have had quite a few from me over the years.

[Old Hywel]

I find that is a good way of recycling empty cat food sachets. The football pools have had quite a few from me over the years.

Splendid idea. TV licensing have just started harassing me again.