Scams

 A friend of mine received the following letter yesterday (click to enlarge):

At first glance it looks plausible; a demand for back tax owed to HMRC, who have contracted with a debt collector - that is, until you realise that HMRC doesn't contract 3rd parties to collect back tax. If you owe HMRC money, you hear from them direct, not through a debt collection agency.

I looked Moorcroft Debt Recovery Ltd up on the internet and this is a well known scam, but why the company hasn't been shut down yet is a mystery. I can imagine a lot of people falling for this scam, especially as the sums involved are not large.

Talking of scams, have you seen the adverts for the Ocean credit card - a whopping 39.9% APR interest rate? This is unbelievable. OK, major credit card companies also have eye-watering interest rates in the region of between 20% and 34%, but 39,9% is usurous.