How can I stop my Mother (prize draw Scam things)

Entering these prize draw things that come through the door, you know the sort, send X amount of money and you could win a PC, or 42 inch widescreen TV, phone know to find out what you have won.

I've lost track of the amount of times she's phoned these numbers at over £7 a go, just to find out she's won a biro OK, she hasn't sent of hundreds of pounds, but a least a couple of times a months she sends off postal orders for about £15, to wait months to get a biro back, and every months theres a least 6 or 7 of these calls on her bill

I keep telling her, if you haven't entered anything you haven't won anything, and that it's all a big con, and she is obviously on their suckers list, apparantly that's what they're called, she says all the right things and that she'll just shred them in future, then I see her phone bill and it tells a completly different story

I know it's her money and she can do what she likes with it, but she's on basic pension, she can't afford these things, and constantly moans about not being able to afford a joint on a Sunday, or how difficult it is to cope with out her tumble dryer at the moment and that she doesn't know how she'll ever be able to afford a new one, and how the water company are on her back because she's behind with her bill

I just can't seem to get through to her at all, we live to far away for me to be there everday to get to the post first, it just really bugs me that she's putting herself in finacial difficulty over this and she can't see past these Bl@@dy things.

I don't hold out much hope, but I did read a while back the Office of Fair Trading was trying to stop some of these people. You could try ringing them if you have details of the scammers. Maybe they could get the deliveries stopped.

oh Christine, no wonder you are worried about her.

I've no real ideas how to stop her I'm afraid. There is a free service which is supposed to stop junk mail...here's a link to their website....http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/

I'm afraid I've never used it and don't know anyone else who has, so don't know whether it does what it claims. In any event I guess you wouldn't be able to persuade her to register on it.

The only other thought is to try and persuade her to buy premium bonds instead - still a chance of a win, but she doesn't loose her money - if she was spending £15 a month on those, I reckon she'd stand more chance of winning something than these scams.

Good suggestion about the Mailing Preference Service it might work but I believe that if she's already on the 'mug punters' list she must at some stage have returned something to them which means it's not 'unsolicited' mail which is what MPS was set up to stop. Still worth a try 'tho

Likewise with the Premium Bonds, I like them but I was very upset when they changed the minimum purchase to 100 pounds, I feel that is far too high, especially for someone like CLMG's Mum. There was a time when you could pop into any PO and buy 5 pounds worth and over time you might win something and your money is safe.

CLMG - I think this is a case where you need to be hard to be kind, give her a really good talking too, tell her she's being played like a fish on a line by these scam merchants, say anything which will drive the message home, you'll be showing her you really care and don't want her wasting her money.

I know all about freedom of choice, it's up to her what she does with her money etc., but I think you have a duty to really come down on her hard over this and give her the works, if she still won't stop then I guess you just have to accept it.

I must add that if it were me I'd really blow my top the next time she starts talking about not being able to afford this and that.

Shows how out of date I am - I had no idea you had to buy £100's worth at a time now

If you google prize draw scams there is a lot of information on these scams, you could print some off and send them to your mother. Perhaps it might make her see sense.

good luck anyway.

Good luck with it when they get an idea in their head it is so hard to get them to see any sense.
I think they are paying us back for when we were younger and didn't listen to them.

Thanks guys

She's becoming a silly mare in her old age, and way to trusting, she honestly believes that she could win something worth a lot of money I just couldn't get through to her that it's just one big scam, even this morning when I spoke to her, she was quite sheepish when she said she'd phoned another couple last week

I've been through her old phone bills for the last 6 months and she's spent just over £200 on these calls Ok, I know that's not a lot of money over 6 months but it is to her, and I've told her so, and she has admited to sending at least £50 in postal orders off to these places and all for what, a couple of biros.

She said she didn't realize how much she was spending, I told her that by now she could have got her new tumble dryer and got up to date with her bills.

I will get copies of what ever I can and send them to her, and try and get this sort of junk mail stopped, to stop any temptation.

Hopefully this will be an end to it

I was just wondering, if she had something else to look forward to in the post, it might stop her doing these things? I know I love getting bits and pieces, and as sad as I am, I send off for lots of things from 'Smart Free Stuff' and the like (I get lipsticks, hand cream samples, free prints, and I don't seem to get any junk mail from it either, which is good!).

What about saying to her that if she gives up with the prize draws, you'll send her some other things in the post, like like the odd letter and trinket so she can look forward to receiving something else? I know it sounds a bit like bribery, but if she's got into the mindset of looking forward to parcels and packets, then you might have to work with it and find an alternative.

Also, does she know what the companies call the lists of people they target? If she doesn't already know, it might snap her out of it? What about printing out some case studies from the net, to show what kind of trouble people can get into with these things? I think Watchdog did a campaign a bit ago. It must be really hard to see companies treating her like this, and hope you can find a way around it!

Oh the sucker list!

MPSonline will help, and you can register your phone and mobile too.... although it takes a while to kick in and if she enters anymore in the meantime she'll be right back on the list.

Unfortunately they aren't usually scams, as the likelihood of winning what they say is usually in the small print somewhere, they are just very good at making it sound like you have definitely won.

How about suggesting she gets the premium rate numbers barred from her landline so she can't call them even if tempted?
That won't stop the postal order thing and I'm not sure what will to be honest as yes she is an adult and can do what she wants. Trying to show her what she could've spent the money on may help.

Incidentally, I used to look after a lady with very severe dementia who always used to answer those calls about winning a cruise or a car. She'd end up going outside and waiting for the so called car to arrive, whatever the weather. One day i found out why when I heard herd aughter using her mother's phone to ring one of those premuim lines up... no wonder. oooo I was so angry.