[Dave_Lee]

Anyone know of this scam?
I got a call of an African sounding guy yesterday.
He said he was from the Tax Office. That sounded dodgy right away. He said that because Ive been paying my tax on time i have been given a tax rebate of £3,200.
However there is a £100 admin fee. I had to go to one of two Sparr shops and purchase a certain shopping voucher for £100.
An inland revenue officer would then call within the hour at my home address and collect the voucher in exchange for the rebate cheque.
Of course i smelt a rat straight away and went along with it for a while before telling him in no uncertain way what to do with himself.
Strangely I contacted one of the Sparr shops, they informed me that the only vouchers they sell are M&S. These were not the ones mentioned in the call (can't remeber their actual type).
I just wonder how this scam can work?
Dave.

[The Carpet Cleaning Pro]

probably a dodgy cheque so they get a valid £100 voucher.... you get a rubber cheque.

[derek west]

there is no voucher as dave said.

weird one that unless there counting on you having 100 quid on you and theres a few waiting for you at the spar shop.

[from edge2edge]

Should have met him and shot him.........all scammers are scum just watched that fraud programme about boiler rooms in spain that con people over here by selling fake shares..........catch and kill em.....just my opinion.........Regards Alan(swindon)

[from edge2edge]

Oh and save some lead for that ref we had at hampden today...........TWONK

[Antony Quinn]

yeah, definitely sounds like a scam.  If others get a call like this, it is worth getting their details and speaking to trading standards about it.

[John Kelly]

Regarding the boiler house scams. A Nigerian guy was caught up here. Think they estimated he got 11 million. A few of his victims commited suicide. He got 5 years. couple of daft kids put a post on Facebook and get 4 years, bloody madness.

[from edge2edge]

Very true indeed John that nigerian is a piece of human trash and along with all the others should be literally rotting in a hell hole for what they have done to ordinary working people...........Alan

[Dave_Lee]

I did a job for a guy a couple of years ago, in his large stone constructed house, complete with out buildings.
As I cleaned the lounge carpet he was prostrate across the big sofa watching the large wall hung TV, as cool as you like.
Finished the job and he paid me cash peeled off from the large wad he kept in his pocket.
He seemed a real nice guy. However that's how good con men come across, real charmers and that's how they get away with it.
Six months later, it's all over the papers. He's conned millions out of people, selling them fantasy investments. He kept the fraud going by actually paying dividends to 'investors' from the proceeds of new business.
I don't get it, surely he knew that it couldn't last forever and he was bound to get found out eventually.
He got 4 years and will be out now.
Coincidently, I returned to the same house a few weeks ago to do a job for the new owners, who had purchsed it as a re-possesion.
Dave. 

[benny d]

Perhaps it was Fonejacker, and you missed the chance to be on TV. What a good bit of advertising that would have been for you 

[AshWhite]

I did a job for a guy a couple of years ago, in his large stone constructed house, complete with out buildings.
As I cleaned the lounge carpet he was prostrate across the big sofa watching the large wall hung TV, as cool as you like.
Finished the job and he paid me cash peeled off from the large wad he kept in his pocket.
He seemed a real nice guy. However that's how good con men come across, real charmers and that's how they get away with it.
Six months later, it's all over the papers. He's conned millions out of people, selling them fantasy investments. He kept the fraud going by actually paying dividends to 'investors' from the proceeds of new business.
I don't get it, surely he knew that it couldn't last forever and he was bound to get found out eventually.
He got 4 years and will be out now.
Coincidently, I returned to the same house a few weeks ago to do a job for the new owners, who had purchsed it as a re-possesion.
Dave. 

It's called a Ponzi scam, quite well known - they can get away with it for decades, usually until a big crash results in lots of the "investors" wanting to withdraw their funds at the same time.