Western Union scam Monday 21st April, 2008.
Posted by teahot in Quibble.Tags: con, fraud
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An Aussie friend of ours who is planning on working in Paris recently asked if we would mind holding a deposit for a Paris apartment as the owner wanted evidence that the deposit would be “in escrow” in order to keep the apartment available. On the face of there seemed no problem and we were happy to help out.
Unfortunately I found out today that it looks as though he was ripped off. Apparently Western Union fraud is rife. By sending the con-man the WU transaction number but not our details (we were supposed to be the receiving party) this is enough for anyone to walk into a WU agent and claim the money. WU do not make it clear this can happen and you are led to believe that it is a secure transaction and they require proper ID before handing over the cash.
He’s lost around £1,000 and gone straight to the Australian police. Unfortunately the police seem a bit crap as they could not even raise a search warrant to force the company to pass over transaction details, the pathetic excuse being that Western Union keep all their data in the Philippines even though they took the money through their Australian company! I doubt that WU will pay him back the money though they were keen enough to take the transaction fees.
Here are some very similar fraud case studies:
The conclusion is easy; I’ve never used them and now I never will, WESTERN UNION IS NOT SECURE.
In jolly old London we never answer the front door Thursday 14th February, 2008.
Posted by teahot in London.Tags: con-trick, London, salesmen
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We moved to London 12 years ago, into our delightful Victorian semi (built in 1875). One of things we quite rapidly learned was never answer the front door.
The problem is that living in Zone 2 we are the target of endless con-artists, door-to-door salesmen, dubious and religious charity collectors and so forth. 90% of the time answering the front door would be to my disadvantage. Luckily I can see through the glass built into the door to check if it is the postman. Friends and others only call “by appointment”.
I have been subject to two classic cons (don’t worry, I didn’t give them any money). One was the well dressed man who claimed to be a new neighbour of mine, had his car wheel-clamped as he wasn’t aware of the parking rules and needed £50 for the fine which I would get back when he could drive to the estate agent to get his keys; he was quite good apart from the fact there are no parking restrictions on my road. The other was a woman who claimed to live next door and needed some change for her electric meter and happened to have no cash on her, which just seemed odd as I knew next door wasn’t rented out. In the case of the well dressed man I contacted the police (in concern for my real neighbours) and they were around for a statement within 10 minutes, they seem to see it as a real problem for the area.
Every now and again I’m expecting a delivery and keep answering the front door to check, on these occasions I get about 2 unwanted callers before getting the delivery which re-enforces my determination to stick to the no answer policy.
It is a sad fact of the realities of London life that we have to adopt a hermit-like approach to doorstep hassles.
When did you last queue for a bus? Monday 11th February, 2008.
Posted by teahot in London, Quibble, Transport.Tags: bus, public transport, queues, Quibble, rush-hour
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The last time I queued for a bus was probably in the 1980s. Simon assures me that in Nottingham they still queue politely for the next bus, everybody filing in, claiming seats and buying tickets in order. Anachronistically, many Northerners will tip their caps and call out “Thank you, driver” when they alight!
Seemingly everyone in London has accepted that when a bus turns up during rush hour, it is time to have a Euro-style free-for-all scrum. The part that really irks is that it seems okay for people to push in front of you at the last minute when they see the bus coming down the road.
I have been assimilated, monkey-see monkey-do; head down, I shove in, particularly when there is no guarantee that there’ll be any space on the next bus. Along with most modern travellers, I wear my earphones and pass the time with Radio 4, which helps me ignore being pressed so unpleasantly into the sweating crowd. Just to prove I am still a nice guy, once in a blue moon, if I happen to have a seat and happen to look up, I’ll try giving it up to some elderly looking person or someone with a walking stick; about 50% of the time they’ll refuse it.
The bus queue has been left behind in the last century, all hail the new millennium!
Missed pancake day Sunday 10th February, 2008.
Posted by teahot in Oops, Quibble.Tags: Easter, missed, pancake
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What happened to pancake day?
It was amazingly early this year, on the 5th February, because Easter is going to be ridiculously early. According to the Easter calculator it will be the 23rd March and in theory the earliest it could ever be is 22nd March, the latest being 25th April.
It costs the British an estimated £20 million every year in extra business administration costs to deal with Easter dates changing in accordance to an incomprehensible religious formula. You would think we could agree business Bank Holidays without having to ask the church for their latest ruling on the phases of the moon as seen from Jerusalem!
Anyway, we missed it.
