7 of the Greatest Scams Ever

Yahoo.com ^ | August 21, 2010 | Linda Rosecrans

[SloopJohnB]

SNIP....Anyway, all this got me to thinking about all the scams that people have fallen prey to over the years. So, for your reading pleasure, here are seven of my favorites, in no particular order. Oh, and it goes without saying, "Don't try any of these at home." [Why Old People Make Good Scam Targets]

[SloopJohnB]

8. First Halfrican-American Prez

[EGPWS]

9) We are recovering from #8!

[eclecticEel]

I don’t see social security anywhere on that list.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Sure, SS is a scam. But, it has taken generations for it to have been proven a scam. Zooming in a little more, I consider scams to be shorter in duration. That’s just my .02.

And thus, I consider Henry Paulson’s $787 > $862 billion extortion from the US Treasury the single biggest scam ever.

[Ben Hecks]

The seven listed are peanuts compared to:

1. Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac scam which led to 2.

2. Panic-driven $900 billion bailout

3. Oil-for-food

4. United Nations

5. Social Security

6. Last but not least.......the Democrat Party

[central_va]

“Carbon footprint” and global warming biggest hoax ever.

[Razzz42]

“...And thus, I consider Henry Paulson’s $787 > $862 billion extortion from the US Treasury the single biggest scam ever...”

Congress approved and the president signed off on that bailout bill, where’s the scam?

Throw them out, throw them all out.

[chesley]

I’m pretty sure it was known that it was fraudulent when it was created, ptobably by its creators, including FDR. After all, it’s merely legal Ponzi scheme, which had been known for years.

from Wikipedia:

The scheme is named after Charles Ponzi,[1] who became notorious for using the technique in early 1920. He had immigrated from Italy to the United States in 1903. Ponzi did not invent the scheme (Charles Dickens’ 1857 novel Little Dorrit described such a scheme decades before Ponzi was born, for example), but his operation took in so much money that it was the first to become known throughout the United States

[Clint Williams]

Execute all scammers immediately on conviction. Dead scammers do not re-offend.

And do not forget: scammers don't leave you with [merely] a bad memory for the rest of your life: they have STOLEN the rest of your life.

Hang 'em or if you can't do that, REGISTER them!

[Bhoy]

“Hang ‘em or if you can’t do that, REGISTER them!”

Now that’s an idea! Nothing has destroyed wealth or the ability to function more than embroiling in the bowels of federal regulation.

[rwa265]

A story in today’s paper describes an alert courier who saved an elderly woman from being scammed. Good for him.

http://www.stltoday.com/business/columns/savvy-consumer/article_418713fe-bd1e-55d6-bb4c-bcd01b4ce106.html

[sand lake bar]

You forgot one of the biggest scams of all....grass seed.
It’s a hoax perpetrated on American middle class male suburbanites.

[Southack]

10.Potemkin Village
9. Hope and Change
8. Fannie Mae
7. Peak Oil
6. DDT thins Eagle eggshells
5. Gun Control
4. “Pro Choice”
3. Global Warming
2. “Deflation has been dead since the invention of the printing press”
1. Evolution

[whence911]

running for president without being vetted for constitiutional requirements

[Repeal The 17th]

From the link:
7 of the Greatest Scams Ever...
Work at Home Scams
Overweight? Have I got a deal for you.
The Nigerian Scam
Salting the Gold Mine
900 Phone Number Scam
Money Order Overpayment Scam
The Ponzi Scheme

[scott7278]

The Obama _residency is nowhere on this list. This list is a scam!

[2nd Bn, 11th Mar]

Here’s a scam I was warned about recently...

To: Distribution List
Subject: Be Aware!

Older men scam —

Women often receive warnings about protecting themselves at the mall and in dark parking lots, etc.

This is the first warning I have seen for men.

I wanted to pass it on in case you haven’t heard about it.

A ‘heads up’ for those men who may be regular customers at Lowe’s, Home Depot, Costco, or even WalMart. This one caught me totally by surprise.

Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don’t be naive enough to think it couldn’t happen to you or your friends.

Here’s how the scam works: Two nice-looking, college-aged girls will come over to your car or truck as you are packing your purchases into your vehicle. They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T- shirts.
(It’s impossible not to look).

When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say ‘No’ but instead ask for a ride to McDonald’s.

You agree and they climb into the vehicle. On the way, they start undressing. Then one of them starts crawling all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.

I had my wallet stolen Mar. 4th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, 24th, & 29th. Also April 1st & 4th, twice on the 8th, 16th, 23rd, 26th & 27th, and very likely again this upcoming weekend.

So tell your friends to be careful. What a horrible way to take advantage of us older men. Warn your friends to be vigilant.

WalMart has wallets on sale for $2.99 each. I found even cheaper ones for $.99 at the dollar store and bought them out in three of their stores.

Also, you never get to eat at McDonald’s. I’ve already lost 11 pounds just running back and forth from Lowe’s, to Home Depot, to Costco, etc.

So please, send his on to all the older men that you know and warn them to be on the lookout for this scam. (The best times are just before lunch and around 4:30 in the afternoon.)

Let’s be safe out there...

[UCANSEE2]

Thanks for posting this article. It was a very good read, and informative too.

[Grizzled Bear]

The seven listed are peanuts compared to:

What about the Swine Flu scare?

[Ben Hecks]

What about the Swine Flu scare?

I didn't put a lot of thought into my list but tried to limit it to scams of more than a trillion dollars.