Scams
Worldwide Winners Search
Centre
Sent in by J.V. 2-2-2001
Do you know what the Worldwide
Winners Search Centre is? It sent a notice that I
had won AUD$2.3 million on Australian Lotto but I
had to send them $18 first. There was no company name,
nothing but a fax number to take credit card payments.
Sounds and smells like a scam.
Smartgambler
comment:
Er, yes, just a little. Reminiscent
of the standard Nigerian Scam. (See below) We receive
hundreds of emails from all over the world from people
who think they've won millions of dollars from a lottery.
Most have never entered such a lottery! You have
not won any money. Do not send them anything.
If someone offers you money, but
asks you to send them money first, ANY amount
of money, it is highly likely to be a scam.
There are hundreds of scams similar
to this and you only need take a look at your state
or country's list of known scams to get a feel for
these and other variations on the theme. Here is South
Australias' consumer affairs scam
list to get you started. They have many similar
schemes noted, often with a common element: you've
won something but you first need to send them some
money for 'processing'. Don't fall for it!
Paying
for betting tips 'only if they win.'
Smartgambler comment:
There are many variations on this theme and it's
an easy one to fall for. After all, how can you go
wrong getting a free tip which you only pay for if
it makes you money? The answer is, easily! Even if
it does win, you have paid money for worthless
information.
The scammer has simply covered all the bases. If
there were 8 horses in a race they have found 8 suckers
and tipped a different horse to each one. One of the
suckers is going to win and pay them money for an
essentially worthless tip. Since any losses are borne
by the suckers and not the scammer, many scammers
do not even bother covering all the bases.
The scam here is one of 'retrospective causality'
and can be a powerful tool for the politician or soothsayer
as well as the scammer. If you predict an event and
it comes about, it doesn't necessarily mean that it
came about for the reasons upon which you based the
prediction. It is not valid to say that because an
event occurred, that the reasons given for it occurring
must therefore be valid too.
In the context of the betting scam, winning advice
doesn't necessarily indicate any special prescience.
It should always be seen against a statistical backdrop,
a series of correct predictions that defy chance,
before you should ever consider parting with any
money.
If you know of or have encountered any gambling
or other scams, let us know about them here at Smartgambler.
Contact us
The South Australian Office Of Consumer And Business
Affairs has a comprehensive list of products it considers
scams or of dubious merit.
Click
here
A useful article in pdf format about racing system
scams can be found here.
ACCC
article
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