Competition Scams - Please Post Them Here

ratbag2

Chocmonster7 wrote: »

I got one of these letters yesterday so they are still at it. Beware of anything from Matters Consulting Ltd t/a Survey UK!

I have recieved one of these letters today as well. Just wandered what the company is / want? Why are they to be avoided? They give a national rate tele no to call so i guess it doesnt mean you end up paying loads of dosh just to call to find out what they want - or am i missing something? I read on the trading standards site that they are trying to get you interested in joining a local gym by offering free pedicure etc. Anyone know any more?
Thanks
Ratbag2

Butterfliesarepretty

Got a letter this morning, checked it out its a scam, £3750 membership, pay for your own flights, annual maintenance fee. Be warned.

I thought I had won a holiday, then looked it up on internet.

Unbelievable what they will try.:eek:

aliben

Samedi_Sam wrote: »

Hi all, just joined today so that I can post the following....

...Had a phone call around 2.40pm on my landline, it was a a guy from www.getmeaticket.co.uk claiming that my husband had entered a competition over the weekend and won, he gave his name and email address, so I thought that it must be real (was caught up in the moment I guess!). :j

He said that he had won an a 7 night holiday for 4 in Europe, all expense paid, I was then given a freephone number to ring and a ref number.

The freephone number 0800 988 9900 was Club La Costa, I was told the following:
- that we had won a holiday award to Southern Spain, Portugal or Tenerife;
- 7 nights at a self catering villa / apartment;
- 4 return flights;
- Valid for 6 months;
- ALL we had to do was pay £29.50 per person, plus airport tax;

So this is ALL we had to do to get a FREE holiday (hmm, not completely free then).

And oh yeh, lastly, we had to turn up at an event near by, to choose a time and date, to get a more details...hmm...said I would discuss with my husband and get back...sound too good to be true?

Am glad I came onto this website to check it out, am going to stick to the rule...if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!! :T

same thing happened to me today - smelled fishy, but played along to start. No chance of going to a hard sell meeting - life's too short!

IWANTTOBERICH_2

Another Free Phone Number:- 0800 988 9901
Got A Call, You've Won, Congratulations!! Said The Name But So Fast I Couldn't Make It Out Something Holidays.hoorah My Lucks On The Up! Phoned The Freephone Number, Don't Normally But Hey It's Free What Have I Got To Loose, Am I Married Or Living With Partner? Are We Mortgaged? See Where This Is Going? How Much Do We Earn? Apparently Not Enough, We're Not Eligible!! Well, I Said, We Could Earn More If It Meant A Free Holiday!!! They Didn't Like It But Did Tell Me It's A Timeshare And We'd Have To Go For A Presentation To Recieve Our Prize And The Booking Fee Would Be £29.50 Per Person!! Oh Well, Sunny Skegness For Us Then!! Better Luck Next Time!!

wellsg

claire738 wrote: »

Got a letter today to my address with no name just "Mr/Mrs"

Inside theres a note saying "Congratulations This number has drawn one of the gifts donated by local business"

Gives a number which says normal telephone rate under it and a hand written code.

There is a second note that says "with compliments Survey UK" and the address:

Matters Consulting Ltd t/a Survey UK
Victoria House
1 Gloucester Road
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL51 8LN


Googled address and found this;

"Trading Standards Advice - Chrissie Bridge - 29th Jan 07

I have received an enquiry from a NHW member who has received an email from a Company called Matters Consulting Ltd, t/a Survey UK of Cheltenham, www.surveygifts.co.uk.

The email informs them that they are entitled to a gift donated by a local business (no name given).

They quote a gift confirmation number which can either be telephoned through or by logging onto their website.

Trading Standards have confirmed they have heard of this Company - they are trying to get people to join a gym by giving a free gift of a manicure or pedicure and supposedly cheaper membership to the Gym Club."


So anyone who recieves anything from this company beware.

I have received today the above, the only difference is the slip that says Congratulations beneath this it says "Total value of gifts exceed £32,500"

Steer clear of this company, when something looks to good to be true, it is.

Do Watchdog know about this company?

steph36c

iv just recived one of these letters in the post,so i rang the number and won a gold membership for 2 people worth over £700 each.:beer:
Is this to good to be true.but if anyone wants to buy them from me,il sell them for £100 EACH..colchester area only lol..:T

pumpkin25uk

ive just had a call off a patronising woman, saying i won a makeover in covent garden, and only 5 people have been picked for this promotion (she said i'd won lol) yeah course.......... i didnt wait for the deposit bit i put the phone down when i did 1471 number was held. please dont tell me it was genuine arrggghh

Helpmesave

Has anyone had a call from Midlands Travel?

I had a call a couple of days ago from a woman saying, "Hello , this is .... from Midlands Travel, you've heard of us?" I said "No." She put the phone down - number withheld!

Helpmesave

zerodashzero wrote: »

Yesterday I received a scam letter from Spain (surprisingly stamped!).

It’s very similar to the usual Nigerian emails but with slightly better grammar!

The bit that made me chuckle the most was –

“Due to mix up of names and addresses, we ask that you keep this award from public notice until your claim has been processed and your funds remitted to you. This is part of our security measures to avoid double claiming or unwarranted taking advantage of the situation by other participants or non-participants.”

I hope some poor fools don’t get suckered by this. I bet some other greedier fools will probably photocopy the claim sheet (asking for banking details and all the usual other bits of info) and “share” their luck with friends in a double claim scam (but I suppose that would serve them right!).

I’ve got no idea how my details ended up in Spain, but I assume it’s from entering competitions online, possibly one for a holiday as I usually use my full name (same as my passport) in case I win (ever the optimist!).

Has anyone else had one?

Yes, I got one of these yesterday saying I had won 615,000 euros, and send my bank details, etc etc. I have passed it to the local Trading Standards Office, where I usually send this sort of letter. Will wait and see what they say.

Helpmesave

Following on my last post, I had a telephone call today from Trading Standards, asking my permission to forward the letter to the Office of Fair Trading. I asked if I should have sent it there in the first place, and was told, no it was fine to send it to The Trading Standards Department. They asked if I got a lot of these letters, and I said yes, probably because I enter competitions and believe that some companies sell names and addresses. The lady from TS agreed with me, and advised that I register for MOPS and TPS, even though already registered, to go through the process again as sometimes things get lost in the system. hth