scams are ever-so-convincing.. :( Websites, contact numbers, News.. everything is in place.
Few weeks ago, a lady called me from a company 嘉寶科技股份有限公司 (Jiaebao Science & Technology Co. Ltd) for a phone survey asking which brand of hp i'm using, how much would i be willing to spend on a new phone. Sounds like pretty normal questions to ask.
After the short survey, she took down some particulars like Name, Age.. and gave me a Lucky draw number and invited me for their event at:
Venue: East Coast Park
Time: Sunday 8pm
How strange.. never have i heard of publicity events held there. I guess it might be a more cost effective choice..
On sunday evening i received a call from this lady. Sounding very excited she asked me if i was present at the event as I had just won a BIG PRIZE!
Asking what i won, she said she wasn't able to disclose.. and kept persuading mi to get there asap. -_- Confirming that i wasn't able to, she said she will forward my details to their head office in HK.
Following morning (Monday) a received a call from an Unknown number, from HK..
a nice lady introduced herself in a chinese accent. Telling me abt mi prize and sounding very happy to handle mi "case". I had won the 2nd prize of HKD350k!
That's a tempting sum of money! Entering my Lucky draw number into the prize winning section, it was true i had won what she said i did! *suspicious already*
She was very patient in explaining what the company was doing.. and i was thinking *scam?* or *mlm?* saying she wanted to make friends cos in 2008 the company will be setting up an office in sg. Finally she gave me a HK number to call to the supposed Sponsor HongKong Jockey Club.
Thinking since i have free IDD to HK, i called.. and the lady on the phone told me abt this "insurance deposit" which is 5% of my winnings to the HK Law department to handle this transaction. Partly as proof for myself that its not black market $$ and also for the Club to prove their sponsorship and to "reduce tax".
Pretty convinced then it was a scam, i rejected claiming this prize. She said "OK" and then that was it!
Extracted from their website http://www.jiaebao.com/, exactly what the lady told me on the phone:
香港總公司為拓展全亞太地區，共500家門市之願景，預計在2008年底,完成在新加坡.中國.台灣.馬來西亞.越南.泰國設立500家連鎖直營門市,在門市設立之前,會先在各地區定點,來舉辦一場大型宣傳造勢活動,以提高公司知名度,建立基本客戶群,並以愛心慈善義賣會,來間接提高公司的一個企業形象。
These people really know how to play mind games..
The lady from JiaeBao called again and asked me why i wanted to give up the prize $$.. started explaining.. blah blah and said as a friend she really wished to help me.
I said i dun have this 5%, why not you help me pay?
Strange, she was going on and on abt how it was a small amt then said she too, din have this $$. But would help as much as she could. I asked to think abt it.. wanting to spend some time to google on the company. I found NOTHING!
Calling me again, said she wasn't gonna force me to claiming this prize but what a pity it would be. Mind games i'm telling ya!! I said I didn't want it anymore.
A week later she called again.. saying this "case" was just brought up at their meeting. She felt bad about not handling my case well. And started her long story again. Said if she put my particulars as a student, i only had to pay half of the 5%! hmm sounds good, but still near $2k SGD. Geez.. i was feeling guilty rejecting her leh!! but again i said NO, i had to give it up since i didn't have $2k! :P
Today she called again.. actually i'm pretty fed up already. I hate it when people prey on my sense of trust. So while on the phone with her, i was doing some research, and for the first time i found this: http://www.hktourismboard.com/seasia/images/misrep.pdf
Saw the company name on the list! I said no and convinced I need not feel bad anymore towards this woman and her "sincerity". *disappointed*
Anyway, guess it takes some time for information to be online even... 3~4 weeks before i found some legitimate documents to prove its a scam.
Important notes:
1. Google the company name for any postings of similar cases
2. http://www.whois.com.cn/ <-- check registration date / info on the website they provide you 3. Most importantly, i found that these syndicates are evolving, they do not stick to the same company name. Jiaebao is a new one. I still can't find anything on it except for the pdf by HKTB. 4. Kenny's post, came across while googling.. Funny guy but i loved what he did to those "SCAMmers": http://www.kennysia.com/archives/2007/08/cheated_by_the.php
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