Clever, but illegal, ways of getting money.

Have you ever been tricked? Ever been the victim of a scam? Ever paid for something only to find that it isn't what you wanted? A new report shows that scamming is on the increase.

Scams have been around since the day that money was invented. Scams are also known as "confidence tricks" or "swindles"; and the person who does a scam can be referred to as

a grafter, a swindler, a scammer, a confidence trickster or a con artist; the victim is called the mark. The objective of all good scams is to make money - it's as simple as that.

The first time the term "confidence man" was used was in 1849. It was used by the press during the trial of William Thompson. Thompson's scam was simple. He chatted with strangers until they had "become friends". Then, quite simply, he asked them if they would lend him their watches. As soon as they did, he would walk off with the watch and eventually caught when a victim recognized him in the street.

So, how do confidence trickster's work? They mainly rely on the good faith of the victim. Many people have fallen prey to scams including movie actors, athletes, successful business executives and political leaders. Just recently, there was a story in the news of a scam in Japan. Apparently, Japanese dog-lovers had been tricked into paying hundreds of dollars for pet poodles, only to discover that they had in fact been sold sheep. The scam was exposed when a Japanese actress appeared on television complaining about her new pet "poodle" and how it refused to eat any dog food and would not bark. Maiko Kawakami was stunned to discover that her pet poodle was in fact a baby lamb. The

A house like this will no doubt have plenty of garage space, so you're going to need a good car to put in there. How about a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder? At $ 11million dollars, it's the most expensive car in the world, and only around 55 were ever built. With a top speed of 240 km/h, it's unlikely that you'll ever be running late, but just in case you're bad with time, you'll need a good watch too. The 'Grande Complication' by Jean Dunard might be just what you're looking for. It comes in platinum with a see-through sapphire back, and will costyou a mere $800,000. But compared to the car, it's a bargain!

Now you've got the house, the car and the watch, how about a party to celebrate? Some celebrities have managed to spend an awful lot of money on parties. Rapper P. Diddy splurged $500,000 on a birthday party at Cipriani restaurant in New York. But that's nothing compared to what steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal paid for his daughter's wedding. The 6-day celebration took place in France and had 1,000 guests. The invitation card arrived in a solid-silver box, guests stayed in the luxury "Grand Intercontinental" hotel and Kylie Minogue performed at the event. All in all, it cost Mittal $60 million.

No doubt the champagne was flowing like water at that wedding. But even Lakshmi Mittal didn't serve his guests the 'Flawless' cocktail as an aperitif. No wonder really, as each one costs £35,000 and it would have added another £35 million to the bill. The cocktail has been launched by Movida nightclub in

London and contains Cristal champagne, Louis XII cognac, and an edible 24-carat gold leaf. It's definitely not a good idea to gulp it down all at once, though, as you may accidentally swallow the 11-carat white diamond ring that comes at the bottom of the glass!

So there you go, if the piggy bank is getting a bit full, or you have some spare change, there are plenty of ways you can spend your money.

31) Read the article and complete the information.

1. The house with the 50-seat cinema is near…

2. You can get to the master bedroom in a …

3. The Ferrari is special because only...

4. The watch is called...

5. P.Diddy had his party in...

6. The wedding reception lasted for...

7. At the bottom of the cocktail glass, you can find...

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 740