Divine Scam

Got to love what some people will do to scam others in this country. If they're not trying to whisk it away on the street they will be posting advertisements in the national newspapers.

During this week there have been ads from an organisation called 'Fruit Farm Labour' who have been placing ads proclaiming "Fruit pickers wanted in Queensland. If you would like to register for work on fruit farms in Far North Queensland, please fill in the form below and post back by 15th August". Unfortunately it makes no mention of how the applicant will get a visa to be able to work.

According to an article yesterday the Australian High Commission has been scrutinising it. They warn people that it is most likely a scam, with the next phase the applicant expected to pay an application fee.

What takes the cake though for me in the scamming department has to be the full two page colour poster sized lift out in today's Post-Courier. On one side of the poster it has a picture of a waterfall with some geezer standing in front of it. It proclaims in lovely typeface "The Magnificent Yaoufo Water Fall".

Next to the waterfall it also has a picture of Jesus and text underneath with an arrow to the waterfall saying "A visible image of Christ looking out from the Water fall". I have squinted at the waterfall and I can say that it looks, yep, like foamy white water falling, in a shape of, umm, a waterfall.

The ad goes on to tell everyone that they are bottling the water, with the pictures to prove it is being bottled, and that they are a genuine organisation called 'Health Reform' who were "established and incorporated in 2005 by the founder and principal reformer Mr Amos Yali". They have even got a certificate to prove how trustworthy they are. A close inspection of the certificate confirms that Health Reform took part in the 10th National Health Expo, something I am sure anyone would be able to join as long you paid your money.

The jist of the whole ad as told on the other side of the poster is that they are bottling the water and selling it as a "proclaimation [sic] of a divine cure through Yaoufo water as divine remedy". I guess that means by drinking the water you will be fixed up real good.

Mr Yali is big faced and staring at you with digitized bottle in hand and telling us underneath that "The water is anointed and has the power to fully revitalize and strengthen the body's immune system to stand against all forms of disease".

My only question is, why can't this country pass laws to prevent this kind of rubbish making it to the newspapers?


Do I look like I am scamming you?