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The Forum > General Discussion > How to stop scams

How to stop scams

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Taking Steven's pathway a bit..

I propose simply having a 'This was your life' show where each week the people stupid enough to be bitten by such things are featured on national TV... and their stupidity underlined.

Even when the police have explained to sucked in Nigerian Scam victims that ... 'this IS a scam..don't send any more money'....they did !

So..some people appear wired for disaster. Not much you can do about it.
Posted by Polycarp, Monday, 15 December 2008 7:42:23 AM
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It looks to me like the suggestion is to legalise fraud, and let the market take care of it. Wasn't that recently tried on a massive scale in the US, and got us into the current mess?

My perhaps naive understanding is that what we have now is pretty close to what is suggested anyway. Providing you don't offer an investment to the public, the rules are very relaxed. In other words in a private contract between individuals you can do pretty much what you want. All you have to do is fulfil the conditions in the contract. Any attempt to publicise or advertise an investment is going to make you run afoul of the "offer the investment to the public" rule, or course.

It is also my understanding that Bernard Madoff didn't do that. You had to approach him. Knowledge of his product was spread by word of mouth. This is perhaps skating the edge of the "not offering a public investment" rule, but he has been charged with one thing which seems to indicate he has managed to stay on the right side of the rule so far. There will be many rich and powerful people pushing for it to be taken to the other side of the rule, and if they succeed he will get the book thrown at him. But if they don't his major crime will be breach of contract.
Posted by rstuart, Monday, 15 December 2008 9:23:19 AM
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CJ,
Erratum; should read 'IS'

Steven J.
Just what the world needs punish the victims. If only people were smart enough or were able to be content with enough. This attitude of 'I WANT more'= ' I NEED more' is the fallacy, driving force for today's consumerism. Everywhere you turn there is pressure, indoctrination to keep up with some fabricated image. New everything, debt etc therefore it's not surprising the more gullible(less intellectually/emotionally equipped) fall for cons like this.

When I was a state manager, my boss was uncomfortable with the fact that I chose to drive a van (multipurpose) as my corporate car rather than a Bellina (condomadore) even though no client ever saw it. Likewise today I drive a 14 yo Subaru heritage and yet people want me to drive something more fitting to my position…why? Its comfy it, goes, stops on command and is inexpensive to run!
I am told corporate image…again no client sees it.

Personally I believe that excess should be ridiculed not poverty being pitied or victimized.
Posted by examinator, Monday, 15 December 2008 10:06:16 AM
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read my lips[the media lies to us[is paid to destract us]is the means by which we have been decieved and destracted

http://www.prisonplanet.com/terrorists-in-pakistan-planning-over-20-attacks-on-britain-says-gordon-brown.html

More than twenty serious terrorist plots to stage attacks in Britain are being planned/Gordon Brown said!

http://www.prisonplanet.com/gates-warns-against-%e2%80%98testing%e2%80%99-obama.html

Defense Secretary Robert M.Gates warned Saturday that foreign powers should not try to“test”President-elect Barack Obama with a crisis in his first months in office and that Mr.Obama remained committed to the security of the Persian Gulf and American interests in the region.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/false-flags-attacks-common-but-rarely-reported-in-the-corporate-media.html

Revelations about a shadowy right-wing group called Ergenekon participating with Turkish military and intelligence elements in “false flag” terrorist attacks in order to bring down the Turkish government are nothing new and are, in fact, a normal tactic used by intelligence services.

ATTACKS IN MUMBAI

http://www.prisonplanet.com/media-forced-to-backtrack-on-al-qaeda-link-to-mumbai-attacks.html

Media Forced To Backtrack On Al-Qaeda Link To Mumbai Attacks

http://www.prisonplanet.com/as-predicted-india-links-mumbai-attacks-with-pakistan.html

India, Corporate Media Moves To Frame Pakistan For Suspicious Attacks

http://www.prisonplanet.com/mumbai-attacks-blamed-on-al-qaeda-as-pretext-for-us-military-response.html

Mumbai Attacks Blamed On Al-Qaeda As Pretext For U.S. Military Response

http://www.prisonplanet.com/mumbai-attacks-to-be-linked-to-obama-target-pakistan.html

Mumbai Attacks To Be Blamed On Pakistan?

http://www.prisonplanet.com/pakistan-says-indian-planes-entered-airspace.html

Indian warplanes crossed into Pakistani airspace on Saturday over two parts of the country where the militant group accused of carrying out the Mumbai terror attacks is active,according to Pakistani officials, who said they scrambled their own air force jets to chase the Indian aircraft back across the border.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/us-may-offer-israel-nuclear-umbrella-against-iran-paper.html

The new U.S. administration will provide Israel with nuclear deterrent guarantees in case of a potential nuclear attack from Iran, an Israeli newspaper said on Thursday.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/us-russia-to-discuss-missile-shield-in-moscow.html

US negotiator John Rood will visit Moscow next week to discuss a controversial US anti-missile shield and a successor to a nuclear arms reduction treaty,the State Department said Friday.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/georgia-guidestones-vandalized.html

The Georgia..[an israeli outpost]..Guidestones,which call for the earth’s population to be reduced to 500,000,have been vandalized.

Journalist Throws Shoes At Bush

http://www.prisonplanet.com/journalist-throws-shoes-at-bush-during-iraq-visit.html

Corporate media outlets are not reporting what the man said as he threw the shoes,“This is the farewell kiss you dog….this is from the widows,the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq.”

http://www.prisonplanet.com/rumsfeld-on-eve-of-iraq-war-%e2%80%98if-you-think-we%e2%80%99re-going-to-spend%e2%80%99-1-billion-in-iraq-%e2%80%98you%e2%80%99re-sadly-mistaken%e2%80%99.html

an advanced copy?

http://www.prisonplanet.com/nyc-ruling-limits-airlines-liability-for-911.html
Posted by one under god, Monday, 15 December 2008 10:43:04 AM
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Scam? well in my view it is not at all unlike the American stock exchange or lending agency's.
A great deal of the greed went unchallenged and most of the lost money was in no way different than this theft.
We may never find a way to regulate such as this greed and personal interests gets the inside running in life always.
Remember just months ago here in our country banks forced workers to push loans or leave the job.
Only the needy or the greedy fell for this criminal, what will his sentence be?
Work out how much time for each billion he stole and he gets off better by far than a car thief, such is our concern for others funds.
Posted by Belly, Monday, 15 December 2008 2:10:07 PM
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Rstuart, examinator, belly

I believe passionately that the best defence against people like Madoff or Australia's Ray Williams / Rodney Adler / HIH debacle is an educated public.

The question is, how to educate the public? It has to be something dramatic, something that will grab the attention of people. My proposal will do it.

My hope is that the prospect of people losing money AND becoming a national laughing stock will induce more caution. It will also help publicise the various types of fraud out there which, hopefully, will make people more alert.

Ponzi schemes are more common that you may think. Arguably the ultra-generous old age pensions that European governments pay their citizens are a form of Ponzi scheme. Will the current generation of tax payers enjoy the benefits when they reach retirement age?

Examinator,

I ditched my car and now ride a bicycle. I enjoy cycling, get lots of exercise and save literally bucket loads of money.

On the rare occasions when I do need a car I hire one or take a taxi.
Posted by stevenlmeyer, Tuesday, 16 December 2008 7:22:14 AM
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