Get Rich Quick - Who even bothers?

On the internet,in magazines,on TV - how do these companies survive?
Surely no-one falls for it?
I did once - but my first was my last.

 

The fact that the 419 scams appear in my inbox in their dozens every day people must still be falling for it. (419 scams are the Nigerian businessman emails whereby they will give you half their 2000 billion inheritance if you help get the money out of the country. All you have to do is pay a small fee of a few hundred quid, just say take it out of the 2000 billion).

Then there are pyramid schemes which are really easy to disguise as something else but basically they keep popping up all over the place.

Then there are phishing scams. Again emails allegedly from paypal, ebay etc saying your account will be closed unless you log in via the link given. Loads of people fall for that one every day.

If there was no money in it scammers wouldn't do it.

Take the scratch cards that often fall out of magazines. You know the ones. You scratch it off and by some small miracle you have won £5000. Then you read the small print......

1. To claim your prize phone this number (premium rate £1.50 a minute).
2. Minimum call length is 9 minutes. (maximum not specified, probably as long as your gullible to hold on).
3. We have the right to change the rules of the competition at any time.
4. We have the right to cancel the competition at any time (probably after the premium rate call has ended).

My friend Brett runs a pub and has bought these great scratch cards off the internet where a prize is guaranteed (they are joke cards). On the back the rules state.

To claim your prize do one of the following.

1. Call santa on 0800 North Pole
2. Go to the end of the garden and ask the fairies
3. Pick the cash up from the money tree in the money orchard....

These scams work because of people's greed and people's gullibility.