Everybody’s a winner! How can that be?
“You’ve just won a new BMW!”
“You have been chosen to receive $1,000,000!”
“We have a check waiting for you!”
“Your name came up … ”
“No strings attached!”
“Free ocean cruise!”
“The world is yours!”
Wait a minute. The whole world? So, what’s the catch?
Never mind. We all know if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Uh, it isn’t. You know what I mean. It’s bunk.
It’s amazing to see what kind of garbage makes it through the filters these days, no matter what we put on our computers (“Spam Busters: Guaranteed to Stop That Spam”), our phone lines (Join the No Call List and Avoid Those Sales Calls), or doors (No Soliciting: “This’ll Stop ‘Em”).
They seem to always find a way to get through.
I believe strongly in advertising, particularly that of the legitimate variety. What I have is a problem with is those such as mentioned at the top of this piece, the items that promise things that simply cannot be true.
Of course, you might say they really DON’T promise anything. There’s always something in the fine print that gives the sender a legal escape.
SPAM or SCAM, it’s still a four-letter word to me.
I got seven emails from individuals claiming to be U.S. military personnel currently stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan who had come across thousands … no, millions of dollars over there and all they needed was a bank account to send it to so we could split it.
“Sure. Would you like my Social Security number, too, so you can make the proper withholding?”
I have had several emails from people saying my name is on an account in another country awaiting my instructions on how to disperse it.
“Great. Here’s where I want you to put that.”
And the sad stories of those in need who only request a few thousand dollars to help them get here, so they can gladly repay me.
“Oh, I will be glad to send you money so you can .. Wait. If you don’t owe me yet, why would I want to … ?”
It’s almost entertaining to see what kind of shill comes next. Almost. Not quite.
But now about the world being mine …
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