News came out several weeks ago about a Poker Scam with businessmen as the unfortunate targets. The scam has actually been around since 2003, but the perpetrators have not yet been apprehended as the police have just recently sent out another warning telling live poker players to be on their guard. The cons are once again swindling live poker players out of their money, and it seems as if they’re having little trouble finding targets to trick.
About the Scam
This warning by the police is something that you should take very seriously, since the swindlers are managing to get thousands of dollars on a daily basis. What they’re doing involves a complicated but highly effective strategy. First, they set up a fake business deal with a wealthy businessman. Of course, their offers are very enticing and quite surprisingly realistic, so a lot of businessmen are fooled. The businessman, hoping to score big with the deal, will then agree to play poker with them. In the case of Alex Tkach, who was one of the recent victims of the scam, he was visiting his ‘business partners’ in their rented office to seal the deal, only to find them playing poker, seven card stud, in particular. They told him that they were just finishing off a party that they threw for one of their friends. As the scene played out, one of the players got an urgent phone call, so he left the table in a hurry. With one empty seat, Tkach was asked to join in.
He managed to “win” $2,000 for the player he replaced. Upon that player’s return, he found out what Tkach had done and was so pleased that he gave Tkach $1,000. With the mood set, they finally asked Tkach to play one more hand with them. Tkach is dealt an impressive full house, three 9’s and two 4’s. Confident that he’ll win with such a stellar hand but without money with which to back up his cards, Tkach promised to go to the bank in the event that he loses. Sure enough, when it’s time to reveal the cards, his opponent showed three jacks and two 6’s, a superior full house. Tkach had to pay up $9,000 – he hadn’t even known that he was scammed until he read the warning issued by policemen later.
The Clincher
What’s really tricky about this scam is that the set up is so natural. It’s easy to get pulled in, especially if you do not know about the scam beforehand. Furthermore, a case cannot be filed for Tkach because he willingly participated in the game. There’s little chance of proving that it really was a scam unless they can somehow go back in time and see everything. Indeed, this little incident only proves that human ingenuity knows no bounds. It’s unfortunate, however, that some people choose to use their intellect for ill rather than good. Forget live poker and play online with some great ub bonuses.
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