I’ve had several emails over the course of the past week, and all asking me the same question… do I think Auto Bet System X-IV by Grey Samuels is a scam.

…youve got to see this video Paul, its a joke! would you buy a used car from this bloke? haha looks like Arthur daley or Del Boy lol are you going to do a review?

The video that’s being referred to in that message is currently promoting the latest version of a betting product from a guy going by the name of Grey Samuels, and you can watch it here

The footage starts off with the sharp-suited, mirror-shades-wearing Grey Samuels character getting out of an Aston Martin. He goes on to paint a picture of what it would be like to get up in the morning and check your betting account, to see that it has grown in value yet again, and all thanks to his product. It’s certainly a gripping story.

What I think is important to recognise here, is that when it comes to marketing, all too often there are often several degrees of separation between marketing and product. Let me explain…

Your typical car advertisment depicts a lone car cruising along an empty highway which sweeps through an awe-inspiring landscape on a gloriously sunny day. In reality, when seen in our own cars, we are often stuck in a traffic jam on the way to work on a grey rainy Tuesday in Hull (no offence meant if you live in Hull, but you did vote it the worst town in Britain).

There is currently a pizza advertisement on the TV which shows pizzas being served, [cliched Italian accent] “just-a like-a Mama used-a to make-a dem” In small print at the end of the advert we learn the pizzas are made in Germany.

Does this mean car manufacturers and global food groups are misleading us? Are we being scammed? In my opinion, technically ‘yes’ we are.

The thing is, a great deal of marketing is aspirational, and takes advantage of the fact that most of us are aspirational too. We all want to be better, we all want an improved lifestyle, we all want more than we currently have. That is partly what has led us to our current economic situation (but that’s another soap-box for another day!)

Maslow talked about basic needs, one of which is to be accepted by your peers. That is why we all want to be part of a crowd, and that is what fuels Facebook and Twitter. Do we need an oversized iPod that isn’t a laptop, costs £500 and is simply waiting to be dropped? No, we want an iPad because everyone else (so we are led to believe) has got one, and it’s “cool”.

Marketers show us what we want to see. This is because, within guidelines set out by regulatory authorities, marketers are allowed to show us what we want, rather than what they are actually selling.

I digress, what about Auto Bet System X–IV, is it a scam?

Having hopefully distinguished between marketing and product, let me give you my thoughts on the sales page promoting this product.

On the page we are shown a series of screenshots from Grey’s NatWest bank statements. These show amounts supposedly transferred from Betfair. However, the details are deliberately blurred out. The question I ask myself is, if they are genuine transfers from Betfair, why obscure the details?

A description of a transfer from Betfair is actually quite long. It starts first with a reference number, then a date, then BETFAIR REFUNDS, INTERNET GB, REFUND

I am more inclined to think these deposits are actually transfers from the seller’s Clickbank account (Clickbank is a payment processor used by many betting systems vendors). These deposits show on your bank statement as follows…. CLICK SALES INC., KEYNETICS

Have a look at the sales page, and I’ll leave you to decide which of those text strings is actually behind the pixelated images on Grey’s bank statement.

Does Grey Samuels use fake screenshots? I’m not 100% convinced either way, but what leaves me in doubt is why anyone would hide something in a screen shot, that might otherwise add credibility?

OK, we may or may not be comfortable with the validity of the images, but what about Grey Samuels himself, and that car?

Personally, the style of the video simply does not appeal to me. I think it is corny, camp, cheesy, embarrassing. That’s simply my opinion, and it puts me off right away. Maybe I just don’t “get it” and the marketing is meant to be tongue-in-cheek. Others will possibly have a different view.

Grey tells us he is sick to the teeth of people making promises of “instant thousands overnight”. How refreshing it is to see Grey being so conservative with a claim of £21,417.22 in 27 days – so much easier to swallow!

But just because the marketing used to promote a product is cheesy and possibly not 100% reflective of the actual product, does that mean it is a  scam?

Yes Paul, you were supposed to be telling us about Auto Bet X-IV, is it a scam?

Well, here is where I have to confess that I haven’t even seen the product….

…but let me tell you why…

Having watched the promotional video, I approached Grey Samuels with a view to having one of my readers conduct a review of the product. However, I explained to Grey that it had been brought to my attention that certain aspects of the video were questionable.

Grey replied that it was indeed him in the video, that there were no actors involved, and that he was indeed called Grey Samuels. I asked him to confirm and prove his identity, which under the circumstances I thought was a reasonable request. I suggested a simple and indisputable solution would be to make a quick and private video for my eyes only, showing some form of photo ID such as a passport.

Indeed I asked Grey on three separate occasions if he was prepared to confirm his identity. After my third request, and much irritating deflection from him more appropriate of a politian seeking to avoid an awkward or embarrassing question, this was his shocking reply…. 

I think you need to move away from this demanding passports and videos, it is absurd and quite apparent that there is no need for me to prove anything to you.

Of course, everybody is perfectly within their rights to wish to maintain their privacy. And I may have what many consider to be an ’old-school’ attitude. But I do not take kindly to the contemptuous tone of such a response. 

I would hazard an educated guess, based upon experience, that Auto Bet System X–IV might break even over an extended period. Like any other method and betting system, it will have winning streaks, and losing runs. If you twisted my arm, I would even go so far as to say you would probably lose a small fraction of your betting bank over the course of a full season.

So is Auto Bet System X – IV a scam? That all depends on whether you expect the marketing to depict with 100% accuracy and clarity the product in question. It depends on whether you expect the seller to be genuine and honest, and to demonstrate beyond doubt his credibility when pressed.

If you are of the opinion that marketers should be allowed a certain degree of, shall we call it ‘poetic license’, and that we are all worldly-wise adults capable of making sensible purchase decisions, then ‘no’ this is not a scam.

In an effort to move beyond the ‘scam’ word, which is used with such gay abandon in our industry, is Auto Bet X-IV worth a place in your betting arsenal, and worth an investment of your cash? Maybe. It is sold via Clickbank so you have an unconditional 60 day money-back guarantee. You’re not going to lose any money if you buy the product and paper-trade it for 59 days, before claiming a refund.

But personally I would be reluctant to give my business to someone who describes as “absurd” the request of a potential customer for reassurance the seller is genuine and honest. That kind of disrespect and contempt does not sit well with me.

There are reviews of this product going on elsewhere on other review web sites. What do you think of my attitude to this seller? Am I right to hold certain principles true, or would you react differently? I’d be interested in your feedback.