Boiler Room Scams

[Spacecadet]

BBC News - Fraudsters' 'suckers list' revealed by regulator

Anyone been phoned by americans trying to sell investments?

I got a call a couple of weeks ago, within 5 seconds of the guy starting to talk I was getting alarm bells ringing in my head from all the dodgy sales techniques he was using including the classic line:
"Who doesn't want to make money?"
At which point I told him to piss off and hung up.

I should add: Not sure where he got my number from, but he seemed to be targetting small business owners. He didn't know my name just had a number for the company

[TimberWolf]

No, but I did receive a long telephone message (must have been close to 5 minutes) left on my answer phone the other day, from Dell trying to flog warranty.

[lukemg]

Really like the film 'boiler room' depicting this from both sides, it's hard to believe the supposedly smart people getting taken in by this but I believe they are very convincing indeed and people are greedy by nature.

[Paddy]

I was sold a direct boiler for an indirect system, six months later it leaked.

[shaunbhoy]

I was sold a direct boiler for an indirect system, six months later it leaked.

That's nothing. My father-in-law married an old boiler 50 years ago, and she has been venting poisonous gases ever since.

[Platypus]

Anyone been phoned by americans trying to sell investments?

Yes, about once a month. Luckily I have no money to invest!

[centurian]

I'm often bewildered how people get suckered into these scams - like the Nigerian 419 scam.

But I guess these folks have honed their skills over the years and know exactly what buttons to push. They are the pros at this, and their 'marks' are very much the amateurs - however clued up they think they may be.

[VBScab]

For many years now, I've been using my elder brother's technique for dealing with nuisance callers (well, thse that et passed my TPS status).

You leave a pause of J U S T long enough, then say in your best serial killer voice: "Do you want to be my friend?" (Another pause) "I haven't got any friends..." So far, 100% success rate.

[Green Mango]

I'm often bewildered how people get suckered into these scams - like the Nigerian 419 scam.

But I guess these folks have honed their skills over the years and know exactly what buttons to push. They are the pros at this, and their 'marks' are very much the amateurs - however clued up they think they may be.

I got phoned by a boiler room trying to sell FX trading. The story was send us just a little to start I want to show you what I can do for you. I believe if I had taken up his offer my small sum would have done reasonably well, if had expressed an interest in redeeming it that would not have happened for one reason or another. They then try to snare a bigger sum from you for even more profits.

It's hard to belive that people can be so brazenly trying to cheat you when most people are honest.