A Norwich woman has been accused of cheating when it was revealed she won an undisclosed sum of money from a MGM slot machine without paying a cent.
Using the original slot machines it was possible to time your pulling of the handle to increase the odds of winning.
This became impossible when the machines went digital. So the scammers started using kickstands (devices that trigger the coin release) and lightwands (lasers that trigger the light sensitive coin releases) to get free cash.
Both of these now rarely work as the machine manufacturers cottoned on and solved the problems.
Now days, the only way to make money is to reprogram the machine. A Nevada gaming offical was charged with programming machines that pay off when a certain combo of buttons is pressed.
The Norwich woman, Rosario Guzman, obtain a copy of the technician key card and was able to use it to pay for free.
Back in 1989, The Magic Circle in the UK, refused to let women join the society.
This annoyed female magicians such as Jenny Winstanley no end. But Winstanley had a plan.
She teamed up with Sophie Lloyd, a 28 year old actress, and taught her how to perform magic to a standard high enough to join the society (this was back in the day when clubs actually had standards rather then just letting every nerd with a deck of cards and a youtube account)
Sophie then created the character of Raymond, a young, socially awkard magician. Sophie spent a year performing in clubs around London until she was good enough and professional enough to join the club.
She auditioned in front of a panel of judges and an audience of 200 people and was accepted into the exclusive club.
A few months later when Lloyd and Winstanley revealed to the club they had been hoaxed, the circle didn’t see the humour and, rather ironically, kicked ‘Raymond’ out on the grounds of deception.
The pair even received the cliched late night “you’ll never work in this town again” phone call.
At the time, he admitted that he had recently been swindled in the city by a woman in her early 40’s claiming she needed money for petrol so she could get to a job interview.
Being well spoken, well dressed and apologetic, Holden saw no reason to doubt her and handed over $17.
She was, of course, a swindler. The Petrol Lady has been swindling people around Fitzroy and The City for almost ten years. I’ve crossed paths with her several times and heard all her stories
- I need money for a train ticket to Ballarat
- I need money to pay for parking at the hospital where by husband is being treated.
- My car was stolen and I need cash for a taxi home.
- She’s just had a blood test at St Vincents and her boyfriend didn’t pick her up so she needs cash for a taxi.
The 3AW morning show have been in touch regarding the swindler who is back in business, if she ever left. The boys got listeners to give her a nick name:
The Thieving Tart
Jerry Can Jane
Flim Flam Mam
The Fitzroy Fraudster
The Hospital Hustler
Fuel Fraudster
A few months ago, I fielded several emails and callers from people worried that a Westfield Win A Gift Card promotion on facebook was a scam.
Cynical marketing ploy? Yes
Shameless attempt to cash in social networking? Of course
Do I like asking questions and then answering them? Certainly.
Scam? No.
It was a genuine marketing promotion.
Over the past few days, 40,000 facebook users have fallen victim to an Ikea Gift Card Scam. And this time, it really is a scam.
Step 1) You are asked to join a facebook fan group allowing you to Win a $1000 Ikea gift card. The design is flashy and professional.
Step 2) In order to collect your voucher you must provide personal information to the people running the scam.
Step 3) You have to sign up to a Netflix, Free Credit Report or similar program.
Step 4) Your gift card never arrives.
A few commentators have jumped on the fear mongering band wagon (In my mind, the fear mongering band wagon is a black panel van with flames on the side and a skull on the bonnet) claiming that the anyone who signed on will end up the identity theft.
However, I’m not sure this is case.
If you put the pieces together (which come conveniently flat packed with allen key included) it becomes clear that the creator of the group mostly receives kick backs from the companies above for signing on new recruits.
These types of affiliate programs are all over the net and they are not illegal.
What is illegal, however, is to promise a gift voucher that you don’t deliver.
Four men sit down to play a game of poker in the dingy backroom of New York club. Each player is a walking cliche.
Jimmy The Rat is a scum bag, a nervous little man in hawiaan shirt and brown leather jacket two sizes two big. He eats peanuts constantly, scattering the shells on the floor.
The Colonel is a six foot high southern gent dressed in a white suit and a big mustache. His southern accent slips when he gets drunk.
Jake is a bedroom player, a middle aged, middle class, middle of the road player whose learnt the game online and playing his buddies. He says this is first game outside his hometown.
Natasha is a buxom Russian on the wrong side of forty. She only knows a few words of English: “Check” “Raise” and “I See You.”
The games been running for an hour when the dealer, the bartender, notices that the cards have been marked.
Someone has crudely smeared daub on the back of the high cards. Daub is a greasy substance used to mark cards in play. Often eye make up or cigarette ash is used. In this case, the cheat has used a commercial daub they purchased from a online cheating website.
Unfortunately, like most commercial cheating products, this daub is poor quality and very easy to spot.
The bartender calls over the bouncers who search the players. No daub is found but they do find:
Jimmy The Rat: A betting slip from a horse race, a packet of gum and a broken cigarette.
Natasha: Three condoms still sealed in their packets, an AA chip and a fake passport.
Jake: An Iphone, a copy of Erdnase at the Card Table and picture of his kids.
The Colonel: A rubberband, a dried out moist towelette and a can of Dr Pepper.
He worked throughout London in the sixties. He came for Italy for the world cup and ended up staying for a few years hitting the race tracks and football games. On derby day, his seven man mob would pull in 5000 pounds between them, making 700 pounds a man.
At the time, you had to ‘buy the police a drink’ to run the game. If the police were honest and you were arrested, the fine was 50 pound because it was easier to convict for ‘obstructing a footpath’ rather than gambling/scamming in public.
He had excellent technique but, surprisingly, was not a fan of the popular US playing cards. He prefers crown and queen slipper. He also preferred the two bend (one concave, one convex) because it keeps the cards flatter.
Magicians and monte fans will be interested to know that his lugs were very small with more of a crease then a bend. He’d bend each corner up creating a small, visible crease. In the context of a game, they looked a little dog eared.
On the radio this week, the big talking point was the new casino that might be coming soon to Mildura. 250 people protested the plan today and callers were concerned that the only people to make money would be the government and the casino.
Two people who have made money from casinos were a London duo who hacked in the roulette computer at an English casino. The computers allowed people to make remote bets on the wheel without having to talk to croupiers. They duo reprogrammed the machine to always pay off!
In happier, we discussed a Queensland woman who managed to get back some of the $40,000 she was scammed by a Nigerian student who posed as an English widower. The student was sentenced to 19 years and the government managed to retrieve some of the cash.
If you haven’t been by Scambusting! lately you’re missing out. Lots of great information and entertaining videos recently. I am very happy to see members posting materials as well.
Be sure to visit Nicholas J Johnson’s blog. A couple of postings from his blog are available on Scambusting, but you should read all his past postings. Nicholas is a magician and “Honest Con” from Australia. He is very talented and well-informed.
We are a small group right now, so why not invite some friends to join? There is some great information to share. A little something for everyone.
