OFT exposes scammers 'tricks of the trade'

The Office of Fair Trading
Summary of "tricks" below...

1. Offering you the unattainable dream - scammers hook you by promising to fulfil your dreams and aspirations. You are told that you alone have been chosen because you are special, but in fact the same scam has been sent to thousands of other people.
2. Using official sounding names and job titles or referring to important sounding organisations to give a false impression that the scam comes from someone in a position of high authority who can be instantly trusted. This works by overcoming the initial gut feeling that something is not quite right.
3. Using fake deadlines to create a sense of urgency and a fear of missing out. You are told that if you don't reply immediately the opportunity will be gone forever, triggering an impulse to respond before you have the chance to think the offer through properly.
4. Using fake testimonials from satisfied customers to reinforce the impression that the scam offer is genuine - this exploits people's normal tendency to follow the crowd and helps to validate what is being offered.
5. Offering worthless 'money back guarantees' to convince you that you are dealing with a legitimate trader and that there is no risk in sending off your money.