There is a warning article in the Groan this morning and as consumer issues are dear to my heart, I’ll pass along the warning.
Bill Swaffer does not enter competitions – and he is adamant that he has never filled in even a survey. However, the retired local government official from Bournemouth is one of thousands who over the past few weeks have received a letter starting “Do you recall filling in and mailing an entry coupon for a competition or prize promotion?”
This aims to persuade recipients to part with up to £9 for a lengthy premium rate phone call, plus £6.50 in postage charges. The most they are likely to win is a digital camera which may be worth as little as £6.
Ah, the usual, then…
Mr Swaffer’s letter came from the “Unclaimed Prize Register”, an organisation with no links to the Unclaimed Assets Register, which joins savers and investors to long-forgotten accounts and shares.
These bastards will try any low trick to part the unwary with their cash. I received a phone call the other day from a company wanting to do a holiday survey – they weren’t selling me anything, mind, they just wanted thirty seconds of my time. They didn’t even get that. When someone assures me that they aren’t selling anything, they have lied in their opening pitch, so there is no point listening further.
Still, let’s see what this bunch of shits are up to, shall we?
According to his letter, Mr Swaffer was “now eligible to receive an award and he was allocated” one of the following:
· £20,000 cheque
· Panasonic plasma TV
· £2,000 shopping spree
· digital camera
· Sony DVD camcorder
· £250 in premium bonds
The “award controller” then suggests that “we want you to receive your cash, cheque or other award as soon as possible, so please respond quickly.” And while Mr Swaffer could send a stamped addressed envelope to see what prize he had won, the quickest route to potential riches would be to dial an 09 premium rate number at £1.50 a minute for six minutes – a £9 call.
Yup, the old premium rate call scam. And what will the caller get for his or her money? According to the article, probably the digital camera worth about six quid. So, strictly speaking, they are not actually stealing, they are using misinformation to obtain moneys for a piece of tat.
“It all looked very official and had ‘private and confidential’ on the envelope. It’s obviously easy to get names for mailing lists but I do not do prizes or competitions. My concern is that if someone very elderly or vulnerable received this, they would be persuaded to pick up the phone to see what they had won. Many are so trusting – full of confidence in the written word.”
Well, yes, they usually do look official, but the wise develop a sense for these things. Like Mr Swaffer, I don’t do competitions, nor ever do surveys, so any communication telling me that I’ve won something as a consequence of a competition or survey is an outright lie – I know this and I know, therefore, not to give the matter any further thought. The mailing goes straight into the bin where it belongs.
The Groan contacted the premium rate line:
It offered “congratulations on receiving an award”, pointing out this was not a random draw and asking “which one of the fabulous awards” the caller had won.
Only then were we told we must have the “bill payer’s permission” (when we had already spent more than £2).
Bit late, that.
Number 40233 would have won the £2,000 shopping spree; and 159788 the £5,000 dream kitchen (oddly enough, not a prize listed in the mailing).
The message then suggested calling a further premium rate number to go in for the Sounds Game: identifying six sounds could win £5,000. This was followed by more numbers – 699404 to win the £20,000, 377709 for the plasma TV; 122467 for £10,000 (also not on the letter); 687595 for the camcorder; and 569521 would win the premium bonds.
Well, well, well, so this is nothing to do with claiming a prize at all, it’s just another scam promotion designed to get people to rack up huge phone bills on premium rate numbers. Unfortunately, there are people out there who fall for this sort of thing.
Finally, just as the clock approached six minutes, Mr Swaffer’s number, 603498, came up. What had he won? None other than the genuine full-sized digital camera – for which he would have to send a further £6.50 for post and insurance.
Ah, yes, the old digital camera – which, according to the article costs the caller over fifteen quid for something that they could pick up for half that.
One to avoid despite the company’s chairman claiming that they are “legal and ethical”. There is a word that is dancing upon the edge of my tongue to describe that particular claim. Oh, yes… bollocks!