Get rich
quick?
Everyone (not just students)
would love to get rich quick and live lives of luxury with no money
worries, and there are plenty of e-mails and letters telling you
that you could do just that. Get rich quick schemes normally only
make money for the person at the top of the chain that has managed
to con people out of their hard earned money.
This section is designed to
give you some basic advice on avoiding get rich quick schemes and
offers helpful information and advice on gambling. The main thing
to remember though is that if an offer looks to good to be true, it
normally is!
Gambling
The majority of the population will gamble at one time or
another during their lives. Gambling opportunities continue to grow
and there are now numerous ways to gamble, such as lotteries,
bingo, scratchcards, greyhounds, horse racing, fruit machines,
casinos etc. Due to the improvements in technology, each of these
activities can also be accessed through the Internet, interactive
television and on the telephone.
For the majority of people gambling is seen as a social
activity. However, for some this can become more serious and can
lead to situations where a person no longer feels in control and
cannot stop what they are doing. There is strong evidence that most
obsessive gamblers begin when they are young.
Gambling is an activity that is easy to become absorbed in and
there’s the temptation to attempt that first win over and over
again or to re-invest your winnings on another gamble. Becoming
addicted to gambling can lead to a breakdown in relationships with
both friends and family. It may jeopardise your education and have
serious financial implications.
What to remember when gambling
-
it’s entertainment, not a form of making money;
-
before playing, set a limit on how much time and money you’re
going to spend before you begin;
-
quit while you’re ahead;
-
keep up other interests and hobbies and don’t let gambling take
over your life;
-
don’t gamble in order to escape from stress or boredom;
-
if you’re losing, don’t keep playing expecting to win it all
back;
-
gambling is an enjoyable form of entertainment in
moderation;
-
most importantly – If you can’t afford to lose the money, then
don’t gamble it.
Useful contacts
If you need further information or advice on gambling the
following organisations as there to help:
Gamblers Anonymous
Tel No: 08700 50 88 80
Web: www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk
GamCare
Tel No: 0845 6000 133
Web: www.gamcare.org.uk
Money making
schemes
As a young person just starting work or a student you may be on
the look out for ways to make additional money. There are plenty of
people around who want to exploit that. There are many different
types of money making scams which appear to be genuine and imply
how easy it is to make lots of money. However, money making schemes
that seem too good to be true usually are, and should be
avoided.
There are hundreds of methods used in order to con people out of
money but the following are the most common forms that you should
look out for.
Chain letter scams
Chain letter scams usually ask you to send money (normally a
small amount) to the person at the top of a list of 6 or so people.
You then add your details to the bottom of the list and send copies
to around 200 randomly selected people.
These types of scams are common and are best avoided as it is
highly unlikely you will ever see any money yourself.
Bogus competitions
Bogus competitions can come in any form (e-mail, telephone, post
etc.) and inform you that you have won a prize even though you
can’t actually remember entering a competition. In order to claim
your “prize!” you are instructed to call a premium rate telephone
number costing anything between £1 to £5 (or more) per minute.
Normally hidden in the small print you will be advised that
calls are likely to last up to 9 minutes and more often than not,
rather that winning one of the “high value” prizes such as a
holiday, car, TV etc. you will end up with a plastic pen or a piece
of cheap jewellery.
Home working schemes
There are plenty of adverts selling the benefits of home working
schemes especially around highly populated student areas. These
adverts claim that you can earn hundreds of pounds for very little
time and effort.
These scams usually involve you paying an upfront fee for a pack
that will for example allow you to start working from home
addressing and stuffing envelopes. The idea is that when completed,
you should be paid for your work plus the fee you originally sent.
However, this rarely happens as you are told that your goods are
not up to standard and just end up out of pocket. They may even try
to sell you another kit.
Typically you will find that all you get for your money is
worthless advice on how to place adverts like one you responded
to!
Remember: if it seems too good to be true it normally
is!
If you are interested in finding out more about the various
scams in operation and how not to get caught out please visit the
Consumer Direct website (www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/watch_out/scams).