News
Net Another Courier Scam Emerges
27th November 2004
We suspect that a new scam is being run in the same vein as the Integra Racing scam and so we're warning you all of this one. This time there is no need to give the name of the people who are running it because the name of the people are more than likely to be false but it follows the same theme which should be obvious by now.
This one particular scam which is in operation involves an approach by someone who is a big racing hitter. But the background details are not important though the pattern of the story in these scams are rather consistent. The thing is that the large punter needs your help to get his bets on and has approached you to work for him for a percentage.
Yes, someone who has never heard of you before; doesn't know you from Adam and wishes to enter a financial partnership with you. At this point the alarm bells should be starting to sound.
This particular scam has this Big Hitter wanting to spread his bets around and this is where you come into it. The usual reasons for this is that he's well known, can't get the bets on, blah, blah, blah. And so you've been invited to enter this partnership 'at no risk to you', where you will place bets for him and in return you get a commission.
You're to fill in a betting slip with a very precise wording (which he supplies) and then send off the slip to him which is then copied, noted and then returned back to you with an identifying code mark on it.
At this point there's no going back; the Big Hitter now expects that you're going to place that bet for him.
A courier will come around to collect your five thousand pounds and the betting slip and then is off to place a bet at some 'licenced betting agent'.
Does anyone know what a licenced betting agent is? I've never met one though I have heard of people who will put bets on your behalf.
So, consider this very carefully; if this agent is some sort of broker then who on earth is he betting with; are these layers legal or lurk about in the East London underworld. I don't jest. Now, if this agent is a broker then why does the Big Hitter need you to in this partnership and the agent could just as easily spread the bets about and it would save the cost of the couriers.
If the agent is in actual fact a bookmaker the carefully worded betting slips all coming in from couriers all with £5,000 bets are hardly going to get past the bookmaker.
None of this stands up to any form of scrutiny at all. In either scenario there is no need for you to be in this partnership, so you have to ask yourself; Why Have I Been Invited?
If the Big Hitter was totally honest then he would have the courier come around and give you the £5,000 and then expect you to invest it for him. That would be totally risk-free though I would imagine you would have an impossible time trying to put £5,000 on in your local betting shop.
Anyway, the idea is that if the horse wins then you'll see the courier again and he'll give you your stake and your winnings back and if the horse loses then you'll get the courier returning your £5,000.
Does anyone reading this actually believe that you'll see the courier ever again? The first and last that you see the courier is when he takes your £5,000 stake. You've just gone to your bank and have taken out a non-insubstantial sum and have just given it away to someone whom to don't know. And, I know that people will write to me in the months ahead saying that they've done just this and what are the chances that they'll see their money again?
Now, this one particular scam has an interesting twist. I think that the twist is here to cloud the issue, or worse. When you enter this agreement you also present the Big Hitter with your bank details. The idea is that you take the stake and the whole winnings from the courier (do we still believe that he'll turn up?) and then he will invoice you and then you pay the money from your account into a Channel Islands account via CHAPS.
This is all very strange. Why doesn't he keep his share of the money; after all money earned from racing is supposed to be tax free? But this business of CHAPS transfers should also ring more alarm bells; what's the aim here? Is this a new edge on the Nigerian schemes where your account is emptied?
There are so many points of this current scheme which don't stand up to the merest scrutiny but it boils down to the simple fact; you are giving money to someone whom you don't know and you are trusting that this man will keep his word and return your stake.
I've said that there is no such thing as a 'dead cert' in racing; I'm wrong. It's a dead cert that this person will prey upon someone's naivity and greed and this self same person will soon realise that they have been duped and have had their money taken from them.
I'll wager evens that in the coming months I'll hear from someone who has fallen for this one.
Never give your money to anyone else to invest in any of these 'risk-free' schemes.