These days, there are a multitude of different scams, each one designed to part innocent people from their hard-earned cash. From African princes to credit card scanners, pyramid schemes to hard luck online stories, they are as varied as they are many.
However, fraudsters in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province have turned to a more ‘pi-genius’ mode of theft – in the form of the common carrier pigeon.
The latest scam involves strapping fake lottery scratchcards to a pigeon’s leg and then waiting for unsuspecting passers-by to discover it and ‘claim’ their winnings.
One such victim was a woman in the city who was travelling to work on Wednesday. After peeling the card from the pigeon, she was amazed to find that she had won second prize, which just happened to be more than US$41,600.
When the lady dialled the number to claim her winnings, the voice at the other end of the line told her that US$7,400 in tax would have to be paid in order to free up the money. Fortunately, she realised it was a fraud and called the police.
The good news is that while the fraudsters appeared to be ‘winging it’, the pigeon has been released and officers are investigating.
Hopefully this is a scam that will not take off and that the criminals are cooped up for a long time.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)