As part of its Scams Awareness Month, the OFT is warning consumers not to fall for bogus clairvoyant mailings sent out to thousands of people in the UK every year. Letters from so called psychics or clairvoyants offer predictions or promise healing properties for a small fee. Often these mailings are aggressive in tone, predicting that something bad will happen if the recipient does not send them money. Although they are sent out in their thousands, the mailings are personalised to make recipients look as if they have been specially chosen and those who respond can be repeatedly targeted.
(Media-Newswire.com) - As part of its Scams Awareness Month, the OFT is warning consumers not to fall for bogus clairvoyant mailings sent out to thousands of people in the UK every year.
Letters from so called psychics or clairvoyants offer predictions or promise healing properties for a small fee. Often these mailings are aggressive in tone, predicting that something bad will happen if the recipient does not send them money. Although they are sent out in their thousands, the mailings are personalised to make recipients look as if they have been specially chosen and those who respond can be repeatedly targeted.
In one example uncovered by the OFT a mailing told consumers that the place they were living in was 'a zone which has been "booby trapped" by negative waves', and it offered a solution for a payment of £29. Extravagant and potentially misleading claims are also made about rituals the psychic will undertake or items, such as jewellery, that the psychic will provide and which it is claimed will bring the recipient good luck and will ward off evil forces.
'Lucky' items include Esmerelda's 'Money creating Scarab of the Pharoes', Gabriel d'Angelo's 'Happiness Beamer, Serena's 'Parchment of the Sacred Olive Branch' , Maria Rosa's 'Bracelet of Ameno' Lise and Rose's 'Gold Card' and Marie Desperance's 'Golden Thread'
Recent OFT commissioned research into the impact of mass marketed scams indicated that more that 170,000 consumers fall victim to clairvoyant scams every year, losing around £40 million.
The OFT's Scambusters team has written to the following 'clairvoyants' about the potentially misleading content of their mailings: Chris, Esmeralda, Gabriel d'Angelo, Lisa and Rose, Maria Rosa, Marie Desperance, Pia Anderson, Rachel, Serena. None have responded. As a result the OFT is publicising its actions to allow consumers to make informed choices about 'clairvoyants' who are using PO Boxes as return addresses for their mailings. It will also be contacting overseas counterparts to ask them to shut down any post boxes used by those named.
Claims made by those named by the OFT include: * 'Maria Rosa' who claimed 'in the next few days you will have the very tidy sum of £169,000 in your possession' * 'Gabriel d'Angelo' claimed 'You have to trust me....BECAUSE YOUR FUTURE AND YOUR HAPPINESS DEPEND ON IT' * 'Lise and Rose' claim that 'there is, in your home, in the very place where you are living, a zone which had been booby trapped' * 'Serena' claimed that 'Your life will be beautiful and you deserve it, thanks to the Parchment of the Sacred Olive Branch which will protect you and bring you happiness'.
Christine Wade, OFT Assistant Chief Executive, Consumer Advice and Trading Standards said: 'These mailings target the vulnerable and the superstitious by playing on their hopes or fears. We would urge all consumers targeted by such mailings to throw them away and not be intimidated into replying and sending money.'
NOTES 1. Scams Awareness Month, is part of an international initiative organised by the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network. The OFT has enlisted the support of local authority Trading Standards Services, Consumer Direct, the Advertising Standards Authority and other consumer and industry bodies.
2. The key message of the campaign is that as scams have become more sophisticated, new methods are being used to get smart with scammers, including using new European laws, including the Consumer Protection Cooperation Regulations, closer co-operation with authorities, as well as 'name and shaming' companies and individuals.
3. Recent research commissioned by the OFT involving 11,200 interviews has found that 1,388,000 UK consumers fall victim to prize draw and sweepstake scams, 400,000 to bogus holiday clubs, 330,000 to work at home scams, 200,000 to miracle health scams, 170,000 to clairvoyant and psychic scams, 110,000 to loan scams. A copy of the research is available at http://www.oft.gov.uk.
4. Scams are an OFT priority. The OFT launched a Scambusters team and set up the Scams Enforcement Group with partner organisations focussing on law enforcement; consumer education; and cooperation with private sector businesses to disrupt scammers' routes to market.
PUBLIC enquiries: 0845 7224499 enquiries@oft.gov.uk OFT reports and consumer information leaflets are available free from: OFT, PO Box 366, Hayes UB3 1XB 0800 389 3158 oft@ecgroup.uk.com
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