Blog Marco

This blog article was inspired by a recent posting in radar which was titled "No scuples, No Shame" and a printed article entitled "born to scam".

Basically it talks about the various ways in which people scam "the system" - getting something free for themselves and having everyone else pick up the bill. This list of swindles will get you thinking, perhaps motivate you to try them (I'm not telling you to try them out and warn you that there may be harsh consequences if you get caught and if you don't - your guilty conscience will eat you till you die!), but also perhaps warn the appropriate people to take action to cover up these real life loopholes.

In the forum Mel says that "The only problem with all these scams is that the company supplying the goods or services are actually losing and therefore will increase their prices to cover these losses.... end result.. we all lose out as we end up paying more for everything to cover other peoples scamming. You're only scamming yourself in the end. My advice. Be honest."

By the end of this article you'll know how fraudsters do it and how to catch them in the act from simply knowing their tricks of the trade.

Sneak into a gig
Forge a copy of the pass out stamp for the venue/event from a set of crayons and sticky tape.

Art Exhibition Openings
Free Booze and Finger Food at Art Exhibition Openings!

Food Scavenging
[In my opinion this is disgusting - but for those desperate enough...] Go to the large bins behind your local shopping centre - the bins for your local grocery should have some free for all food. "Phil claims to find quality produce such as "organic, wood-fired sourdough bread, biodynamic yoghurt and organic bush honey" - all protected from other garbage by plastic packaging. Such items, he says, get thrown out because their labels are damaged or their use-by dates have passed - not because they're inedible."

Free or Cheaper Train Transport
There are harsh consequences if you try the following and get caught but there are people out there who are doing the following one of three methods:
* Buying a CityRail Shirt and pretending to be an employee of CityRail.
* Tailgating - Closely following someone out of a gate and going through the gate before it shuts
* Concessions for Part-Time students that pose as Full Timers in their study programme then drop down to normal programme once their card has been issued.

Free Movie
For those cinema complexes with only one ticket gate - at the end of the movie ide in the toilets until the next one starts.

[Daisy] "2 for 1 movies! Split the cost of one ticket, then send one person in with the stub. While in there, tell someone that you've lost your ticket and you're busting for the loo/need candy or similar. They'll give you their's and hey presto! You now have 2 tickets...go out and give it to the person you split the original with... I agree though, don't do it with Aussie movies, just with those bloody over-priced blockbusters. Somehow it's hard to feel guilty about saving $12 when you know the star is being paid 20 mill!"

Hanging out in Hotels
I'm not too sure if this is a scam as I think anyone is welcome in a hotel lobby - just as long as you have some "business" there - like meeitng hotel guests, drinking at the bar. Who's to stop you sitting around - unless you are messing around they have no reason to kick you out.

Free Kitchenware
Foodcourt = Free Dishes, Spoons, Forks and Knives.

Free Toilet Paper
Take the Toilet rolls from the office or public toilets.

More Free Food
[John]"I know some people who work for a financial planning company in the city who regurlary visit one of the large hotels that is used for corporate functions. They wait until most guests have arrived then collect remaining name tags conveniently located at the entrance to the function room. They enjoy free food and drinks."

Free Phonecalls from Payphones
[Krav] "My favourite is an oldie and I knew some who had deft skill in this area using the old Telecom / Telstra payphones. A call to operator services to advise that the phone ate your money, but did not connect the call. Operator would ask for the telephone ID and would arrange a tech to visit. In meantime, they would connect the call to the destination free of charge... After seeing this done a few times, I learnt the art of bs. Ooohhh, how risque in that there was no option of ever getting caught!"

Free Postage
[Bondi Bogan]"Send your Christmas cards for free!Write your address on the front of the envelope and the person who you wish to receive the card, on the back as the sender. DON'T put a stamp on it and then post it. Aust Post will then send the card back to the "sender" or in this case, the intended recipient."
[But AP warns] "Aust post will deliver it anyway, and send a bill to the "sender" claiming payment of deficient postage plus a service fee. So you'll end up getting all your cards back in your mailbox and your family & friends will get an Australia Post invoice. And I'm guessing you'll be charged with fraud."

Free Burgers' at McDonalds'
[Bondi Bogan] "In McDonalds stores they have a plaque with all the managers names, as well as the manager on duty's name. Claim that you ordered a burger last week which was no good and the manager said to come in and they would replace it. When the on-duty manager asks which manager told you that, simply drop the name of any of the off-duty managers, gaurenteed they will not bother a manager on their day off to confirm your story, works every time!"

[Steve Cheese] "go into maccas claiming you ordered a mcchicken meal on the way home the other night and when you got home it was a big mac. you have intolerancies to meat... worked for me 3/4 times."

Free Parking in Bondi
[Bondi Bogan] "Next time you have to pay huge amounts for parking, stuff in a bent coin first. This will jam in the machine and no one will be able to pay for parking. The inspectors can't give you a ticket if the machine is not working. Also, all you have done is what was required of you, that is you gave the machine money, not your fault it can't take a little buckled coin."

Sneak in Booze into a Sporting Event
[Bondi Bogan] "Next time you go to the cricket, get a large, unsliced loaf of bread, hollow it out and stuff a bottle of your favourite booze in it, Stroll thru the security with your loaf under your arm. Now enjoy the cricket and the free booze all day."
[Mark] "I bought a large bag of chips, ate them then stuffed the bladder of a two litre wine cask in and sealed it up. Just perfect for that winters night at the footy. Not one eyebrow was raised at the "bag search".
[HG Adds] "Especially if you have access to a Heatshrink machine to seal it off."

Vegetables at a discount
[jaynius] "As for the broccoli, I've learned that the stalk holds lots of vitamins too, as do the leaves, so I cook it. Still in the veggie dept., I knew someone who would use a mushroom paper bag to hide expensive fresh dates (or similar) cover with a couple of large (and cheaper) mushrooms. Get your dates for mushroom price!
I haven't tried it, but giggled over the vine ripened tomatoes, perhaps I will !
I used to know someone who stripped the loose skins off onions to avoid paying for the extra weight - really !!
Lighten up folks, this is seriously funny."

Cloakroom Capers!
[Tim Harding] "In clubs I hate payng to use the cloakroom so I simply take my jacket or whatever it is I need to store to the cloakroom attendant and explain that I have found some lost property and want to hand it in. At the end of the night I simply go back to the cloakroom and describe the item that I had "lost" and retrieve it. A word of warning though, I have had the attendant claim that nothing fitting my description has been handed in."

Free Books and Magazines
It's called a Library.

[Kirk] "To read magazine for free I go to really big newsagents or big petrol stations where the staff do n't care if you are using it as a library. I've read whole books at Borders over a 2 week period at lunchtimes. The stores have comfortable chairs."

Free Trips
[MartinC] "When I was on a trip to Antarctica, there was one amiable guy on board who wandered around taking hundreds of pictures and interviewing the ship's crew. He was a media rep doing a travel program, and the Antarctica travel company had given him the trip free in return for the publicity. On the last day of the trip, he quietly admitted to me that the only media he had any association with was the website he published about his travels."

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