Category: Skeptical Article

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Remember the craze for “Unique Water” – an Australian bottled water consumed in vast quantities by fans with religious devotion, proclaiming that it had miraculous healing powers? Its discoverer has disappeared without trace just as clinical trials were due to begin … http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/01/23/1106415456742.html

Scammer Scammed: A Melbourne financial manager swindled his own clients out of more than $1 million, but then blew it when he was suckered into a notorious Nigerian letter scam. He now faces jail and an industry life ban after admitting that his greed was criminal.

http://theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/18/1097951628112.html

ACCC Consumer Express: November

This month’s topics include: Text me baby yeah! – mobile phone issues … Unconscionable conduct guide … Our Internet special … Internet auctions-protect yourself … Spam shopping … International spam action plan … Do you speak a language other than English? ACCC interpreter service … Product labelling … Fuel facts-our special update on petrol and diesel http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/474307/fromItemId/3737 or email express@accc.gov.au to subscribe.

ASIC has announced the 2005 “Pie In The Sky” Awards featuring the year’s worst scams used to rip-off Australians. Nigerian scams, “interest free” car and home loans, a Dominica-based “early superannuation access” and other illegal investment schemes. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/01/20/1106110876173.html http://www.asic.gov.au/asic/ASIC_PUB.NSF/byid/9034CAD25488F604CA256F8E007F1FAA

ACCC Consumer Express: October

This month’s topics include:

• Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Country of origin advertising
• Internet auctions: consumers beware
• Work at home but don’t get scammed
• “TV star’s amazing confession“
• Agents get real! A look at real estate advertising
• Chain letters: David Rhodes hits again
• Consumers’ online rights
• Misleading claims attract attention: misleading claims about magnetic therapy
• News releases for September
• New ACCC publications

http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/474307/fromItemId/3737 or email express@accc.gov.au to subscribe.

People who practise the controversial recovered-memory therapy may soon have to be registered by a professional board, amid concerns that some are unqualified and could cause harm. http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Memory-therapy-state-launches-probe/2004/11/22/1100972326650.html

The Australian False Memory Association say the therapy is “dangerous, unscientific, and just destroys families“. http://www.afma.asn.au/

During the recent federal elections, new political party “Family First” claimed it was a media overreaction to label their party “fundamentalist Christian” merely because some of their candidates came from religious groups such as “Catch the Fire“. However now the Family First chairman has released a statement saying he thinks the literal Biblical creation story should receive equal time in school classrooms with evolution.(Creationism) Other Christians have since written in to reject this idea. One wonders whether he’d be happy to give equal time to other “theories” such as the Four Elements, Flat Earth, Phlogiston, non-Christian creation stories and Santa Claus.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Creation-theory-gets-boost/2004/11/17/1100574537582.html