Category: Fake Products

Stupidest Spam of the Week Robot Cleaner

Robot vacuum cleaners are a common target for scammers.

Usually they pick some little known robot cleaner, copy photos, add some text and send out emails by the million advertising the cleaner.

Sometimes this is just trying to sell rubbish products to people at high prices with the intention of making fast money and disappearing.

Other times, there is no product – just scammers copying other scammers but not even bothering with a product.

This latest set of emails sent out by the million has photos of a weird looking cleaner but it is the description that marks it plainly as a scam.

e.g.

“Soft cotton water absorbent cloth water absorbent cloth”

“Bottom cleaning experts”

“Anti-lock design”

“Let your life full of health”

“Intelligent to stop drop sensing”

But clearly not intelligent enough to write a description that makes any sense.

The message also lists prices which start at 129 for one but doesn’t say what currency the prices are.

Perhaps it’s 129 pennies, but probably not.

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Fake IDs

We all see criminals on TV shows and movies going to suspicious characters to have fake passports, driving licences, IDs etc. created for them.

Nowadays there are many companies on the Internet openly selling fake IDs – you may have seen adverts for these and wondered how this can be legal.

The companies advertise openly but their websites make it clear that the documents faked are for fun and entertainment only and many even warn that they must not be used to deceive anyone.

So that’s the get out clause.

  1. Is it illegal or immoral for people to buy and use these fakes?

That depends on the situation – if you use a fake ID to play a joke on a relative or friend or something similar then no harm done but clearly if you’re underage and use a fake document to access alcohol then you are breaking the law.

Likewise with similar use of other documents and claiming it was just for fun won’t go down well with the Police.

These companies are engaged in activities they know will lead to cheating, so don’t support them.

If you have any experiences with these scams do let me know, by email.

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The Danger of Online Pharmacies

An increasing number of people buy their prescription medication on the Internet (with or without a prescription). Often this is because it can be cheaper but also at times because the person believes either they can get the medicine they want without a prescription or that it may be easier to convince someone online to give them what they want.

The big problem with online pharmacies is that many are unregistered and that means unregulated, so buying from them is potentially unsafe. The drugs they provide may be unsuitable for the patient or unsafe or be badly or unhygienically produced – you don’t know what you will get.

Medication should only be taken under the supervision of a healthcare professional as their guidance and knowledge of your state of health is crucial in ensuring you get the safest medications.

For prescription-only medicines, an online pharmacy must receive a legally valid prescription before dispensing the medication. This means you’ll either need a paper prescription or an electronic prescription via the Electronic Prescription Service from your GP.

Some sites do offer prescriber services, where provide a consultation with a medical practitioner who can write prescriptions.

It can be difficult to distinguish between registered online pharmacies and other commercial websites. The General Pharmaceutical Council operates an internet pharmacy logo scheme to identify legitimate online pharmacies and you should only buy from registered pharmacies. However, some illegal online pharmacies fake the logo so you have to check carefully.

Check if a website can legally sell medicines online

Search the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) register to check if a website is allowed to sell medicines.

You can search the register by the business:

https://medicine-seller-register.mhra.gov.uk/search-registry

If you have any experiences with online pharmacies do me know, by email.

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Are Pre-Paid Funerals a Good Deal

The Fairer Finance consumer group published a report into pre-paid funerals and concludes that the Funeral Planning industry is not working well for consumers and millions of pounds of consumer’s money could be at risk.

The average cost of a funeral is £3,900 so it makes sense for many people to plan ahead to ensure there is the money for a funeral for a loved one or themselves.

Telesales companies have been bombarding people with calls about planning their funeral and an estimated six million people over the age of 50 have been contacted.

James Daley of ‘Fairer Finance’ said “the combination of a fast growing market, fuelled by high pressure sales to a potentially vulnerable customer base is creating a perfect storm. “

“A growing number of customers are likely to be let down when their plan is claimed on – with some funeral plan providers passing on significant extra costs to the families”

The people making the calls are usually commission based and charge up to £1,000 per plan sold so obviously that’s a big chunk of the money gone that was expected to pay for the funeral.

This market is basically unregulated and the report findings will be reviewed by The Treasury, the Competition and Markets Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority.

There are reputable companies involved in the funeral planning industry and this can make sense for some people. But do not take up an offer from a cold caller and do your research to find the best plan for your needs and ensure you understand what it includes as it seems that 90% of people taking these plans do not fully understand what they will get.

Contact the relevant company directly – to avoid commission going to an agent.

Do you have an opinion on this matter? Please comment in the box below.

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Stupidest Spam of the Week Ultra Violet Flashlight

You have probably seen lots of spam emails offering various ultra violet light products – lamps and flashlights especially.

These have a variety of uses but in these days of Covid-19 they are sold as an easy way to kill off bacteria and viruses on most surfaces.

Hospitals use these lights to sterilize surgical equipment, water suppliers often use ultra violet light to kill anything in the water, engineers may use ultra violet scanners for inspecting metal parts and there’s tanning and skin treatments and more. In a lot of fast food outlets you will see blue fluorescent tubes in a cage on the wall – the ultra violet attracts the flying insects and the bars electrocute them.

Do ultra violet lights work?

Yes.

But there’s nothing new or unusual in using these lights.

So, the latest batches of spam emails proclaiming the world’s first ultraviolet light to kill bacteria is unexpectedly stupid. And this is supposedly to work on people.

These devices are fine but any that are strong enough to kill viruses can also damage people.  They are good for sterilizing surgical kit but used on a person would burn them to a crisp by the time there had been enough ultra violet exposure to kill an infection.

Not recommended.

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Stupidest Spam of the Week Coronavirus Fever Detector

When you go to the doctor, he or she may check your body temperature and that usually means a glass thermometer under the tongue or in the armpit or use of a digital thermometer.

This is because the doctor needs to know your core temperature not the temperature of your skin, which can vary significantly.

If you’re rushing you may get a little warm and your skin will try to cool you down by pushing that heat to the skin surface where it can be cooled. If you wash your hands then your skin will be cooler and so on.

This latest scam is about a magic watch that can detect a fever and hence tell you if you have Covid-19.

The title of the message is

“Insanely Popular “Coronavirus Fever-Detection” SmartWatch Finally Arrives in Our Country”.

It goes on about not putting peoples lives in danger by having a fever and not checking it.

It is simple technology for a watch to have a temperature sensor and tell you the temperature of your wrist but that will vary significantly during the day and depending on your activities and is not a reliable place for getting a core temperature reading.

Even if people do make such watches they will useless, but most scammers simply sell an idea and have no product of any kind.

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