andrewducker: (Default)
andrewducker ([personal profile] andrewducker) wrote2003-07-17 11:48 am

Nice Scam

Nicked from [livejournal.com profile] budgie:

What you do is print up some expensive stationery and mailshot details of an investment newsletter to 64,000 potential subscribers. For half of them, you predict that the FTSE-100 stock exchange index will go up the following week. For the other 32,000, you predict a decline.

The next week, you mailshot the 32,000 who were given the 'correct' tip and make another prediction: half are told the market will go up, half are told it will go down. Then you hit the next 16,000. Then 4,000. And so on.

Soon, a core of punters will believe they've been given infallible tips six weeks' running. Finally you invite the 1,000 left on the list to sign up for a subscription at £1,000 for a year. If they all pay, that's an easy £1m.

[identity profile] drainboy.livejournal.com 2003-07-17 04:19 am (UTC)(link)
I've heard the idea was nicked from a film years ago about people in ireland doing the same with horse racing.