AIBU...to think that's there's a lot more of these Salt Path Type Shysters about than you might think?

[Redheadedstepchild]

On a lesser scale, maybe but close to you?

If you've ever owned a small business, have you ever thought that your book keeper was a little bit fly?

Have you ever come across some kind of new agey health nonsense kerfuffle selling literal snake oil run by some plausible types with a mid 2000's style website?

Charity fundraising shenanigans?

Or just abject fantasists living in their own delirium, (often in remote rural locations either in the UK or abroad.)

'Cos I have.

There's a couple up our street who are always knocking on the door asking if I will sponsor them for their '1000 mile motorbike ride' or their '200 mile canal trip' or whatever. No I will not pay for your holidays and no I don't believe a penny from your gullible sponsors makes its way to the charities you claim to be raising for.

Plenty of swizz merchants about.
Most rich folks are shady as fuck.

Yes they’re everywhere, from people conning a few pounds in “sponsorship” money to people faking cancer.

In anticipation of the, "You go first, OP!"

1. Dodgy book keeper.

I never really took it up with my mum but let's just say she had one. I couldn't prove anything and was living abroad and my mum would just get defensive but there seemed to be quite a lot of unexplained things going on with, "The company cheque book."

A common method is to come as your saviour if you're in a bit of a mess, balance the books for a bit, then go rogue.

1. I've already mentioned on another thread about my mum's first husband running a vanity publishing scam in Canada where you paid money to enter a, "Poetry Competion."

(A practice beloved by the Walkers as well.)

1. The charity hoodlums and snake oil merchants I've come across are too numerous to count.

There is a bit of an Emporer's New Clothes element in calling them out though because you will face quite nasty opposition.

As a very astute poster on the Gold Salt Mine thread said, "Even if the charity got the main chunk of the proceeds through the official channels, who's to know if they were chugging with a bucket or whatever."

My gran had a cleaner who I’m sure was taking her to the cleaners! She “did lots” for my gran apparently so gran was always giving her money for extras. And if any diy needed doing her dh would do it for a price! I have suspicions the diy wasn’t necessary and prices were inflated.

but then my cousin also scammed my grandma. He had her debit card and we think did loads of shopping on it. He got caught out when he forgot to change the delivery address for an expensive car radio. Even after that he drove over once a month to take her to the supermarket, he’d park her in the cafe and go shopping. I suspect he did his own. He’d already lost two jobs for thieving, inc one working for Barclaycard where he’d somehow used customers cards.

company local to me have a hyperbaric chamber and have a GofundMe running so people can donate so they can offer cancer patients free/discounted gos in the hyperbaric chamber. Sounds dodgy to me and not sure it’s medically necessary but there you go.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5367283-to-wonder-what-happens-if-you-reply-to-this?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

Here's a thread I posted on a few days ago talking about my mum's ex husband's poetry book scam.

It's as if I could foresee the Salt Path thread.

I should become a psychic reader.

The clever ones always have what my dad used to call, "A homeopathic grain of truth" in what they spin, which makes you doubt yourself.

@MoominUnderWater There’s a woman at my mum's assisted living who does cleaning and, "Runs Messages." (does shopping) for mostly the elderly men. Taking the debit card.

I used to follow some new age bloke on social media who was a brit but living somewhere in the far east amongst jungle and parrots and flogging rocks at vastly inflated prices because they had magical properties. I think he sold concoctions as well. Totally shady.

I met a guy like that once, told barefaced lies to evade his debts. It really affected someone else’s small business. He didn’t care. His wife eventually got wise to him and they split but he still does alright for himself now from what I’ve seen online. He got away with it all. He knew how to talk the talk.

My gran even left her 1k in her will!

I also knew a carer who was accused of stealing from an elderly person. She was devastated and almost lost her job/faced charges. It turned out it was the DIL the whole time

I was called ableist (as were many others) on this site, when there was a big story blowing up about a woman who alleged she was being sued by her AirBNB guests for being disabled and terminally ill. Her story was patently nonsense, kept escalating in these mad ways, and I genuinely couldn't understand how anyone could be taken in by it.

Turned out she was a serial fraudster, link for anyone who doesn't know the story: AirBNB scammer

Did anyone’s kids primary school enter them into a “competition” and discover that their child had “won” the chance to be published! For some princely sum we could get a load of books with all the “winning” poems in.

Can’t believe school fell for that.

And - from their Facebook boasts - can’t believe how many parents fell for that.

I dated a guy, thought he was a bit generous, then realised our dates were funded by him putting everything on his company credit card which basically was barefaced theft and not a trait i found at all attractive.

A lot of businesses (thinking of one gym in particular) where I live seem to fall for these award scams, where they're the best prestige/innovate/up-and-coming but it's just an award they have to pay for.
Apparently some influencers do the same thing: "awards" where you pay to be nominated, attend, win.
I've known charities where staff have stolen from them and they let them just resign as the smaller charities just find it too tough to pursue a case.

Carrie Jade Williams was a top drawer scammer. I hated her weird, breathy way of talking and always thought her tiktoks were beyond odd.

scamanda was another one!

It can go both ways, I know. It's so very difficult.

There’s this one bloke, a former commodities trader, who sets up a fake political party every five years or so and makes up a bunch of inane unworkable policies. You’d think people would have caught on, but millions vote for him every time, and he makes a fortune in TV appearances and after dinner speaking gigs.

Yes, I've known several stories locally, and the reason I believe it's so common is it can be very difficult to prove and people get away with it - and people see people getting away with it. I don't know how they can sleep at night personally! But it amazes me how common it is.

This is my “favourite” scammer: a horrible woman using her severely disabled child (was a child when this started, now an adult) as a mystical figurehead, to flog blessed laser pointers she got off Amazon for £1.99, for £500

https://www.grandmachandra.com/products/green-healing-laser

My equally horrible money-grabbing ex-friend used to be the child’s carer a couple of decades ago - they use to do tours selling tickets to see this poor woman become distressed on stage, which they sold as her “having blessed visions”. They are in the US, or I’d have phoned social services myself.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1dngyk69d0o

5 years of hawking his ‘Scottish tea’ until the law caught up with him

When mine were young I complained to their school about that *Young Writers scam) I don't mind if the school wants to produce a book, and proceeds go to the school fund, anyone can get something published, but be transparent about it. Don't paint as a real publishing company running a proper competition and that your child achieved a briliant thing with the book going to be appearing in bookshops. My son was disgusted when his 3 line poem "won" a prize - he said he put no effort in and that it was his worst ever piece of English. I didn't disagree with him! We had a very interesting conversation about things not always appearing what they seem, if I remember. We didn't buy the book and he absolutely agreed with me that I shouldn't.

The main one that springs to mind for me is Liz Fraser (@lizfraser1) - always pleading poverty whilst owning homes in Oxford and Venice, unfulfilled Substack subscription promises, worthless parenting/writing/life coaching courses, crowd-funding pleas… the list goes on.