Dealing with Saddam Scams

By George Anderson


Many consumers surfing the web and opening their email in recent days may have come across offers to buy a deck of Iraq’s Most Wanted cards.


According the Great USA Flags web site, for example, the card deck it sells is the same as that supplied to Coalition forces in Kuwait. The company claims to be the only business authorized by the original producer, United States Playing Card Company, to print the deck.


A report in the Cincinnati Enquirer from last week, however, said United States Playing Card Company had not produced the deck seen on newscasts around the globe. George White, vice president of marketing, for the company said, “The decks – about 1,000 of which were made by the Defense Department – use the company’s Hoyle-brand Joker image. They also show Saddam Hussein as the Ace of Spades, which may remind war buffs of other Ace of Spades decks that were made by the company.”


The Defense Department U.S. defense officials have warned consumers to be wary of anyone selling so-called Most Wanted decks. A Defense Department official told Congress Daily, “Despite claims by some sellers on the eBay auction Web site that a friendly government contractor discreetly released several thousand decks to them, the Defense Intelligence Agency actually made only 200 decks for distribution to select U.S. forces in Iraq to aid in the hunt for senior Iraqis.”


Moderator’s Comment: What are your thoughts on this
topic?


A quick search found numerous sites claiming to sell decks
that are “genuine”, “authorized” etc. despite the Defense Department’s announcement
to the contrary.


Last Friday, the Defense Department (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Apr2003/pipc10042003.html)
and the US Central Command made free versions of the cards available for download.
For a copy (Adobe Acrobat required), click
here
. [George
Anderson – Moderator
]

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