THE UN-PROFESSIONAL
           
          I received this email recently:

  • Hi its THE PROFESSIONAL here... did you get on today's gamble. If you didn't whatever you do don't miss tomorrows MAXIMUM GAMBLE this will bolt up at a nice price its from one of my top contacts in newmarket and he says he's having his biggest bet of the season and that there are NO DANGERS. To obtain this information ring now on:

    • Despite being out of breath when I finished reading the punctuation-less missive, I had to snigger at the amateurish way he capitalised the words he wanted me to read: THE PROFESSIONAL; MAXIMUM GAMBLE; NO DANGERS.

    Anyone with that lack of english grammar is not going to get my attention. And no-one who states those three capitalised words is going to convince me to call him at £1.50 a minute. He's a total amateur who thinks he can make a few shillings simply by saying those magical words. Punters who use the internet regularly will never be tricked by such flannel. What the idiot fails to realise is that only charlatans state those four words in such a way.

    If you've had the same or similar emails, ask for a no obligation trial. But ask your friends to do the same - preferaby your facebook or such-like friends from around the country and see how many different horses in the same races he sends out á la Derren Brown. The "Hi its the PROFESSIONAL" guy will soon be rumbled.

    He's probably of the same mind as the person I once knew who said it was easy to become a "Newmarket Mole". All you had to do was say you had links with Newmarket trainers, or owners, or stable insiders, and just pick out only Newmarket horses to tip to the unwary. He thought it was a sure thing until he noticed no-one was answering his emails. It might be the same guy. I don't know. But people like him cause genuine services (and there are lots) to be tarred with the same brush (how's that for a cliche?).

    Don't be taken in - especially when the emailer or letter writer capitalises the duff words above.