SCAMBUSTER QUIZ

Scambusters quiz

Are you a scambuster or will you be scam-busted?

A scam is where people try to con you out of your cash. So just how savvy are you to the scammers? Try our quiz to see how you measure up.

1. You open your daily newspaper and find a scratch card. To your surprise, you discover that you have 'definitely' won a large cash prize. All you have to do to claim your prize is ring the 090 number revealed on the back of the ticket. How do you react?

A - Ring up straight away - you can buy that car you've always dreamed of.

B - You're sceptical - so check the cost of using the premium rate number. You decide the chance of a big cash prize is well worth the charge.

C - Think 'how can they be giving away so much cash. I'll spend my tenner on something useful.'

A B C

2. You receive a personal letter from Susanna 'a clairvoyant of international repute'. She promises that she can break 'the chains of bad luck and destruction that bind you'. With her special help 'a great fortune' awaits you. All you have to do is send off £9.95 for her to reveal her 'great secret'. How do you respond?

A - You don't want to be cursed so you post a cheque to Susanna straight away.

B - Check your horoscope first, and then write out a cheque.

C - Toss the letter in the bin - and tell your friends and family of a nasty scam doing the rounds.

A B C

3. You come home from a hard day at work and discover a message on your answering machine, stating that you are the winner of a 'a dream Caribbean holiday'. All you have to do is call the number left to claim your prize. How do you react?

A - You need to top up your tan, so call them straight-away.

B - It sounds too good to be true, but you call anyway, because you never know.

C - Recognise that the number beginning with 090 is a premium rate number costing £1.50 per minute. You have heard that you only win hard to use vouchers after spending ten minutes on the phone.

A B C

4. You receive an e mail from General Mark Odabesi. After the recent coup in his country he has been unable to transfer money abroad. He has access to 'secret government funds' and is looking for someone to help him get $5 million out of the country. In return for your bank account details plus an advance of £1,000 to bribe a bank official, the general promises you 20 per cent of the money. What do you do?

A - Get onto the General straight away with all your financial details.

B - It sounds like the end of your money worries, you reply and ask him to give you more details.

C - Delete the e mail after forwarding it to the abuse account at your internet service provider.

A B C

5. After Christmas you are desperate to lose some weight. Then you see an advert for the Firm U Lighter diet supplement. The advert promises that by taking the special capsules you can lose at least 3 pounds a week - without exercise or dieting. And a one month course is only £50. How do you react?

A - Sounds ideal - so buy three months supply from Firm U Lighter.

B - Think about gym membership, but know you'll probably never go, so send off for one month's supply to see how it goes.

C - Laugh and send the advert to the Advertising Standards Authority.

A B C

6. Out of the blue you receive an official phone call from a representative of the Canadian National Lottery. He informs you that you have won the 300,000 dollar second prize in their international sweepstake promotion. To release the cheque, all you have to do is send him a mere 1% of your winnings as an administration fee. What do you do?

A - You send a money transfer order as requested. He's told you there's no time to lose.

B - It sounds too good to be true, but you're tempted. You ask for someone higher up to call you back.

C - Put the phone down on the caller - it's not rude to cut off a scammer and you haven't even bought a lottery ticket!

A B C

7. You come across a website technotif.com promising that if you buy a £10 flash drive, then you can get the latest mobile phone of your choice when a hundred more people have joined up to the site. How do you respond?

A - Think to yourself 'cool - I have always wanted one of those top-of-the range mobiles', register your details and send off your tenner.

B - Ask your best mate what he or she thinks, then go with the offer.

C - Think 'this sounds like a dodgy matrix scheme' and ignore the website's claims.

A B C

8. Your friend invites you to a presentation at a posh hotel, where you are encouraged to hand over £2,000 to become part of an exclusive 'lifestyle club'. You are told this entitles you to massive savings on holidays and the chance to earn lots of money by recruiting new members. What do you do?

A - Get carried away with the excitement and hand over a £2,000 cheque straight away.

B - Stick around to hear what others are saying. It seems that a lot of people are making money, I'll give this some consideration.

C - Think 'this sounds like a thinly veiled pyramid selling scheme' and walk out.

A B C

9. You receive an email from your bank, informing you that it is upgrading its software and that it needs you to click on the link and confirm your account and password details. What do you do?

A - Click on the link and fill in your details - you don't have a second to lose to verify your identity.

B - Check out the site - it sure looks like the real thing - but you call the bank to check whether it's legitimate.

C - You recognise that this is a scam called 'phishing'. Your bank will never send you an email to confirm your password and account details so you delete it.

A B C

10. You are surfing the net looking for ways of earning extra money and hit what looks like a helpful site. It promises: 'be your own boss and earn thousands of pounds by working from home. No experience or product knowledge required. Just send £30 for our special start-up pack.' What do you decide to do?

A - You need the income - so you send off for the start-up pack right away.

B - Check your latest credit card statement and decide its well worth a try.

C - Walk on by - the sales pitch sounds too good to be true.

A B C

11. You see an advert in an in-flight magazine for the El Grotto lottery syndicate. This invites you to 'seize the opportunity to enter Europe's biggest lotteries'. It promises a 'guaranteed mathematically proven method to improve your chances of winning'. All you have to do to play is to complete the form and send off your credit card details. What do you do?

A - Grab a pen and fill in the registration form - you'll pay for five lines to maximise your chances.

B - Start to read the small print but go into a day-dream about how to spend the cash. You send off for one entry to hedge your bets.

C - Rip up the form and the advert and call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.

A B C

How did you score?

Mostly As - scam-bolic!

An impulsive, optimistic, giving person, you believe there's a little bit of good in everyone. Unfortunately, there are lots of crafty scamsters out there keen to prove you wrong and part you from your cash. So watch out and treat something for nothing offers with suspicion.

Mostly Bs - scam-dalous

You have a core of common sense and try to think things through. But when it comes to the crunch, you don't like to make too much of a fuss. So after asking a few polite questions, you fall for the scamster's crafty sting. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

Mostly Cs - you're a scambuster!

Cool and calm, you won't be pushed into spur of the moment decisions. You can sort the wood from the trees and know how many beans make five. People will have to get up very early in the morning to fool you. But do remember, there is a scam out there for everyone. And also remember that you could be dealing with practised liars.

Whatever your score is, always be on guard against the scammers. Read the OFT's leaflet How to recognise a scam.

If you suspect that what you are being offered is a scam, call Consumer Direct for clear, practical consumer advice on 08454 04 05 06.

Note that usually no legitimate business would ask you to pay any money to claim your prize.

Reproduced with the kind permission of The Office of Fair Trading.

The OFT plays a leading role in promoting and protecting consumer interests throughout the UK, while ensuring that businesses are fair and competitive.

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So, how did you do? Did you have a laugh at some of the questions thinking, no-one's going to fall for that?

Well, These are all real scams which have parted people from their hard earned cash!

They can be extremely convincing when giving you their pitch. Remember, use your gut instinct. No-one gives you something for nothing. If it seems too good to be true...... it usually is!

If you fall prey to these criminals or have any suspicions report them to The Office of Fair Trading. http://www.oft.gov.uk If it turns out you're wrong and it's not a con then I'm sure the individual/company would welcome the endorsement from the OFT that they are an honest organisation.

Stay Safe