Making a great scam better
Print This Post
You have to hand it to him. Mr Sam (the Scam) Cohen is never satisfied. From my observations, he is always thinking of new ways to defraud the public. It really is impressive that Mr Cohen is always thinking of a better way to, in my opinion, con his clients. This week I met with yet another former client of IHRB who alleged that Sam had conned him out of $3,950, promising all the usual money-back nonsense. During our meeting, I learned something new and even more cunning. Full marks to Sam Cohen. He has an admirable quality of always doing better and improving on his scheme. Too bad that, in my opinion, it is all illegal and filled with lies, but he scores ‘A’ for effort.
Sam Cohen places full-page ads to lure unsuspecting customers into his smoky den. The ads say, ‘Before signing contracts, ask a lot of questions and ensure that you take home copies of photographs of all the bald or balding areas of your scalp to make progressive comparisons.’
What could be fairer than that? The next step is for Sam to meet with the clients and take several photos of each person’s scalp. However, consider how Sam has now refined the process:
BEFORE
In the past, Sam Cohen would print out the photos and stamp each one with a stamp that says something like, ‘Do not expect any hair to grow in this area’, and ‘Do not expect this area to fully recover’. This was a messy system because some clients instantly smelled something fishy. Why would anyone go to Sam and pay thousands of dollars, plus pay for on-going medications at astronomical prices, only to agree that they do not really expect any hair to grow? Sometimes, that method of stamping the photos did cause some arguments. The story of this alleged con-trick is featured if you click here.
Then, whenever there was a dispute, Sam would refuse the client a refund. Why? He says because, ‘Your hair has improved and it did grow back’. This was a standard line he would stubbornly use, even if, after the 12 month mis-treatment, you had walked in sporting a scalp as bald as a billiard ball.
The majority of clients left his office and just did nothing more about it, because they were too embarrassed or too disgusted or too scared or too busy to take him to task. However, a tiny fraction of customers protested and took the matter to Fair Trading or CTTT. At the hearings, Sam would argue that the client does not deserve a refund because the client had signed to say that they did not expect any hair to regrow. Sam swears that the client knew that he could not perform miracles, and that they undertook the program despite him allegedly saying that he could not guarantee any regrowth. Sam would furnish the photos and the client’s signature as proof that they had agreed to the terms stamped on each photo. Absurd. But such was his method.
AFTER
The latest revelation is that Sam Cohen has perfected a new, improved, smoother method to con his clients. It really is stunning and impressive. In normal business terms, I would call it an innovation. Sam now does not brandish his stamp. He keeps it hidden. He just takes the photos, and simply asks the unsuspecting clients to initial the photos by way of agreeing that those photos are of their own head, and that they are a fair representation of the scalp’s condition at the time of the photo being taken. All fair and reasonable thus far. The customer goes home without smelling the dirty rat.
Now, if there is a dispute, Sam will refuse the refund, saying that the hair had grown. Then if the client has the energy to haul Mr Cohen through the legal system, Sam stamps the photos with his devious stamp. Now we have photos that have stamps on them, along with the client’s initials. Brilliant. Perfect. Sam then has the bloody hide to front-up to a Tribunal hearing and declare that the client does not deserve a refund because that client had signed and agreed to the stamp. In the past, he used to forge client signatures. But how he has a blank cheque. The real deal.
And people still wonder why I am pursuing this shonk. People actually are amazed that I am chasing this alleged conman. Do you really wonder? One person asked me why I am taking this matter so seriously, and I replied, ‘Because every citizen ought to take these matters seriously. Sam has been getting away with his illegal activities for 40 years, and no-one has been able to expose him because he is such a cunning and convincing liar, and because our consumer protection system in this country is sliced-up into little pieces, thereby making it draining and exhausting for anyone to challenge him.
In all his 40 years, Sam never counted on meeting someone with my level of stamina. It’s just that I abhor bullies and scammers to the N-th degree. I wonder if Sam knows his maths. In other words, there is no end my man! The more you lie, the more fuel you add to the fire.
Incidentally, I loved reading his letter to CTTT about this client, wherein Sam claims that he had told the client about his ‘limitations’. This is a first! Sam had never ever admitted that he has any limitations. In all his ads and tacky advertorials he says, ‘I have achieved unparalleled results in regrowth of hair to the utmost satisfaction of every person I have treated.’ Is that a claim, or what? And Mr SCAM Cohen had told me that he had never failed, and that he has a 130% success rate. But now, he is showing some infallibility by saying that he has ‘limitations’. What’s the world coming to?
Oh well, the matter went to a preliminary hearing at CTTT. A formal hearing will be scheduled shortly. I shall keep you posted.
