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A Postal-Mail Chain Letter?
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Posted By:
Maegan
in Tampa, FL - USA
Nov 14, 2004
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I received this chain letter in my mailbox:
Dear Friend,
Greetings: I am a retired attorney. A few years ago a man came to me with a letter. He asked me to verify the fact that this was legal to do. I told him I would review it and get back to him. When I first red the letter my client brought me, I thought it was some "off-the-wall" idea to make money. A week and a half later we met in my office to discuss the issue. I told him the letter he originally brought me was not 100% legal. My client then asked me to later it to make it perfectly legal. I asked him to make one small change in the letter.
***
It goes on for another 2 pages about how if you send $1 to the 6 names on the list & you will make $800,000.00 in just 3 months. You pay for a list of names to send letters to. I KNOW this is a scam. I just can't figure out how I got it. It came to me at my married name (junk-mail tends to come to my maiden name), & it came to my actual house address. (My driver's license lists my PO Box & if you look me up at the DMV, the physical address is actually my prior residence...haven't had time to change it yet.) The phone & electric aren't registered in my name, they're registered to my husband. (There's not a water bill, we have a well.)
What I wanna know is: How did this come to me, with my correct name at my current physical address??? The 'person' who sent the letter is: Mr. Louis Jordan/1234 Shakespeare Avenue/Apt # 2E/Bronx, NY 10452
Also, a co-worker recently had someone slip this same letter under his door at his apartment building...Anyone hear anything about this??
Category: Scams; Replies: 1761 |
Comments
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Page 7 of 89 pages ‹ First < 5 6 7 8 9 > Last › |
Cranky Media Guy
Member
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 | 03:14 AM
Tami said:
"You are so negative and distrustful."
After all the back and forth we've had, this is really the best you can do by way of a retort? Wow.
I DO have to laugh at you calling ME negative. All I've said is that chain letters are an illegal scam which CANNOT work mathematically (a point you repeatedly refused to address, interestingly enough). All the FACTS are on my side.
YOU, on the other hand, have bitched about big business in general, the pharmaceutical business in particular, lawyers, former husbands...and ME.
Yet, in your fantasy world, *I* am the negative one. You're very amusing, Tami. Delusional, but amusing.
I've learned over the years that when you try to show someone how their favorite delusion is not contiguous with reality, they almost always start accusing you of being "negative." What that REALLY means is, "STOP telling me that the ridiculous thing I desperately want to believe is a fairy tale. La la la la, I can't hear you. I can't hear you!"
No, Tami, don't ask a postmaster if chain letters are illegal. Don't bother to go the library (I hear your home town, Washington, D.C. has a rather comprehensive one up on Capitol Hill) to find a book that will tell you that what I've been saying is true. Don't ask one of the thousands of lawyers in your city about the legality of chain letters.
After all, you're Tami and in Tami's World, whatever you believe is REALITY.
Are you going to get arrested for participating in this stupid chain letter? Almost certainly not; there are bigger fish to fry.
Are you going to make money with it? Nope, for reasons you could easily learn by simply going to the library (in fact, *I* could teach them to you rather easily), but that would harsh your buzz, right?
Off you go. Fantasy Island awaits. De plane, de plane! |
Charybdis
in Hell
Member
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 | 09:52 AM
Face it Cranky, she doesn't want them to be illegal so for her they aren't. At this point nothing you say to her will change that delusion, she will simply disregard you because you're not telling her what she wants to hear.
Anyone can either ask their local Postmaster about chain letters or check out this link.
http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud/chainlet.htm
Anyone who continues to argue for their legality is either stupid or a fraudster, there's simply no other excuse for such behaviour. |
Cranky Media Guy
Member
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 | 04:20 PM
"Face it Cranky, she doesn't want them to be illegal so for her they aren't. At this point nothing you say to her will change that delusion, she will simply disregard you because you're not telling her what she wants to hear."
That's my ultimate conclusion, too, Chary. She's a victim of Magical Thinking.
Since she's SUCH a True Believer, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before the mathematics which argue against chain letters step out of the way and that money just comes rolling in. (/sarcasm)
Then she will develop an interest in porcine aviation, at which point, pigs will gain the ability to soar like eagles.
Actually, I expect that we'll hear from her again, when she starts claiming that she DID make a load of money from this stupid chain, offering, of course, NO evidence of this claim whatsoever. I think she will feel the need to "prove" that her trust in this nonsense was NOT misplaced. |
Tami:Dream Catcher
in Washington, DC metro
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 | 09:10 PM
Ah...there you go. I was wondering when that 'hell' guy was going to post. You guys are birds of a feather. My assumption being there are two of you and not one guy and an imaginary friend who agrees with the other. I'm not interested enough to find out. OR, I know! You two are the 'haoxes' guys that started this site? And there has to be haoxes or scams. That's your thing! You don't have to prove anything. Just say it's a scam and we should all believe you.
You assert that it's illegal at least 50 times. You have shown no data to support your position i.e., court cases or other documents. I presumed you did your research and would share that with us to support your position. It's incumbent on you, since you are stating it's illegality, to prove your position, especially since you care so much about people getting ripped off,right? Go to the library, you say? I would think you did that before you made this egregious claim. How did you get your information...from one source, that Post Office Site? Well you weren't responsible enough to prove your point and I'm getting bored now. I thought I'd get some intelligent debate going, not ranting the same stuff over and over.
You clearly don't know how to debate. Maybe you'll go to college one day and get on a debate team. You'll learn screaming and yelling doesn't count. You'll actually have to cite documents, etc., to support you position. BTW, if your position is weak, or you are losing, you can't get all mad, pouty and start name calling, swearing, etc.. That probably would not be allowed either. You see, in college one generally learns grown up stuff, assuming one is a late bloomer and hasn't learned that stuff already.
Cranky, my assumption is that you and 'hell' guy, hopefull he's real, are a couple of young, perhaps intelligent, guys fooling around on this site for fun. Good for you. However, if I am wrong and you guys have finished your educated and are over umm, 26 years old...well...geez...??
Tami |
jill
in ny
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 | 10:26 PM
Ok enough already! I thought I found a site where people who actually tried this were comparing their experiences. Can someone let me know if they mailed letters and received responses. Please don't lie. Cranky please don't tell me again that it is illegal. I got your point and understand it. I just don't understand why you are trying so hard to say the same thing over and over. |
Cranky Media Guy
Member
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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 | 03:11 AM
Tami said:
"You clearly don't know how to debate. Maybe you'll go to college one day and get on a debate team. You'll learn screaming and yelling doesn't count. You'll actually have to cite documents, etc., to support you position."
Yup, *I'm* the one here who hasn't supported his position. You ARE making me laugh, Tami. I guess the Postmaster General doesn't know the law concerning chain letters and all the books in the library about scams don't know what THEY'RE talking about either. Oh, I forgot, you BELIEVE that chain letters are legal so none of that definitive information constitutes PROOF to you.
Hey, Tami, how about if I drive from here on the Oregon coast to D.C., pick you up and physically TAKE you to the Library of Congress? Would THAT be convenient for you? I know how crowded the D.C. Metro can be. On the way, we could stop by the General Post Office on Pennsylvania Ave. and ask the Postmaster General what HE thinks. Oh, damn, I forgot, he doesn't know what he's talking about either.
For the fourth time now, by the way, you have--deliberately, I assume--conspicuously avoided the teensy problem of the impossible math which would be required to make chain letters profitable for more than the first few people who are in on them, which means those who START them. They make their money off the suckers who jump in, thinking they're going to score big.
You can call me all the names you want, compare me to all your ex-husbands for all I care. If that's supposed to upset me, it isn't working, not even a little bit. Your ad hominem attacks can't change the FACTS that the LAW says that chain letters are illegal and simple arithmetic says they don't and can't work.
Unless, of course, we're on Tami World where FAITH makes the impossible not only possible, but GUARANTEED and makes the illegal LEGAL.
"You see, in college one generally learns grown up stuff, assuming one is a late bloomer and hasn't learned that stuff already."
Another thing that people usually learn by college age is that money doesn't magically multiply, which would be required to make a chain letter work. That's the kind of thinking that isn't normal for anyone over the age of 10 or so. |
Cranky Media Guy
Member
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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 | 03:18 AM
Jill said:
"Cranky please don't tell me again that it is illegal. I got your point and understand it."
It just isn't what you want to hear. In other words, you know damn well that chain letters are illegal, you just don't care. Fascinating.
"I just don't understand why you are trying so hard to say the same thing over and over."
And I am baffled as to why you thought you would be able to exchange information about engaging in an illegal activity in a public forum and NOT have someone point out that what you want to do is illegal.
Why don't you go check and see if HowDoIRobABank.com is up and running?
By the way, has it ever occurred to you that a law enforcement official *might* be reading this thread (or that *I* could be a law enforcement official)? Are you also under the mistaken belief that your identity can't be determined?
Oh, that's right, chain letters are perfectly legal, which makes me wonder why you two think anyone bothers to have a job. Why don't we all just send letters to each other and live on the Magic Money which would show up in our mailboxes? |
Cranky Media Guy
Member
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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 | 03:21 AM
Oh, hey, Tami, I forgot...what happened to that thing about ME wanting to get the last word? Didn't you say you were leaving?
And you wonder why I'm laughing at you! |
Charybdis
in Hell
Member
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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 | 10:22 AM
Tami, if you feel we're not presenting a valid argument then why are you even still here? Obviously you enjoy the arguing or you would have left, just like you keep saying you are going to do. Say one thing but do another... and you accuse of us just goofing off.
I can tell you why I'm here - To remind people of the law and encourage them to consult their local postmaster if they're confused or uncertain. I'm not sure why this is such a hard concept for you to grasp. I would think most intelligent people could understand that Mail Fraud would fall under the dominion of the US Postal Service. Is there some reason you're incapable of making this elementary connection?
Your refusal to acknowledge this argues one of three things. 1) You're stupid. I'm not yet sure this is the case, but you're doind a marvelous job of convincing me. 2) You're a flamer. Possible, but unlikely as you haven't been truly offensive yet. 3) You're a fraudster. I'm still undecided on this.
I'm sure I'll eventually work it out, you don't seem inclined to leave any time soon.
And again, if you have a question about mail fraud wouldn't it make just the tiniest bit of sense to ask the Postal Service?
I'll also point out that simply providing you information regarding the law is enough proof. I don't have to provide you with court cases documenting that law to support my case, the existence of the law itself is more than enough. Any child would understand that something is illegal if a law exists stating that it is, unless that law is successfully challenged in court. To date no court case challenging the legality of chain letters has won, though other aspects of the law have been successfully challenged (advertising of legal casinos).
The Law: Title 18 Section 1302
http://www.usps.com/websites/depart/inspect/usc18/lottery.htm
Whoever knowingly deposits in the mail, or sends or delivers by mail:
Any letter, package, postal card, or circular concerning any lottery, gift enterprise, or similar scheme offering prizes dependent in whole or in part upon lot or chance;
Any lottery ticket or part thereof, or paper, certificate, or instrument purporting to be or to represent a ticket, chance, share, or interest in or dependent upon the event of a lottery, gift enterprise, or similar scheme offering prizes dependent in whole or in part upon lot or chance;...
I fully expect you to claim this doesn't prove anything. |
Cranky Media Guy
Member
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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 | 04:22 PM
Nicely done, Chary.
Yes, I too expect Tami to come back and say that that law doesn't apply to THIS chain letter for some unspecificed reason (except that she BELIEVES it doesn't).
Eh, as they say, all you can do is all you can do. |
Ice
in atlanta
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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 | 05:23 PM
Not that I am a proponent of chain letter schemes, but the excerpt copied from the post offices' site appears to prove that the particular 'chain letter' in question is okay since it is presented as a business venture. Otherwise, any such mailer asking for a fee to be placed on a list to get auction, foreclosure or any other information might be illegal. It's just asking someone to do something for money ... it's not saying just send money to everyone on the list & every new person added to the 'pyramid' will send you money. It says start a list brokering business & help others down the line do the same. You can then use the list as you accumulate names to make other offers or sell the list to others for them to make offers ... it's an 'opt-in' list of potential clients & it's up to the list owner to determine how they will utilize the list.
I mean, you may or may not get anything when you send money through the mail. It's a chance you take, but this is not a lottery, gambling, prize offer, etc. Everyone gets lottery & prize offers all the time through the mail, but if it's done right, then it is legal. Whenever you advertise for any service whether tangible or not, there is a chance that you won't have a buyer or participant or anyone that is willing to pay the fee.
I didn't invest any time in going to the link since I would assume you thought the words copied & pasted proved your point. Since 'chain letter's' have been around for so long, I would think that those words would be mentioned specifically, but they weren't or anything resembling the like.
Your interpretation seems to be driven by the desire to be stubbornly against anyone possibly making money by starting a list brokering business in this manner. |
Cranky Media Guy
Member
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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 | 09:21 PM
Ice said:
"Not that I am a proponent of chain letter schemes, but the excerpt copied from the post offices' site appears to prove that the particular 'chain letter' in question is okay since it is presented as a business venture."
Chain letters are almost always represented that way so that people will come to the same conclusion as you did. Who would participate if the letter said, "This is illegal, but you should do it anyway"?
It is a false argument. Chain letters are illegal because their "modus operandi" CANNOT work. Any intelligent, rational person who spends a minute thinking about it will realize why. The money involved in a chain letter is not put into an interest-bearing account, invested in anything or used to start a business. Given that, how would it be possible for everyone to come out ahead?
The simple answer is, they can't. If anyone made, say, ten times their initial investment, that HAS to mean that nine other people LOST their money.
The people who start chain letters insure that their names are on the top at the beginning, meaning that if ANYONE makes money before the chain collapses (which is inevitable), it will be THEM. Why do you think they start them in the first place? To assist mankind? Duh.
As I've said before, if chain letters worked as advertised, no one would need to work for a living. We'd all just send letters to each other and live off the money that rolled in.
I'm amazed over and over at how the people who so desperately want to believe in the legality of chain letters and their magical ability to pull money out of thin air refuse to simply ask their postmaster or an attorney about them or go to the local library and read one of the many books on scams available there.
The effort required to ascertain the facts is so small, I can only conclude that at least part of your brain knows full well what you'd find out if you did that and you just DON'T WANT to have that information.
To repeat: chain letters DON'T work, they CAN'T work and they are ILLEGAL. |
jiji
in Ga
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Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 | 05:35 PM
ok Cranky, as we can see this is your website to control. Let people alone and let them learn from their experiences and tell other people what they have learned, good and bad. Your interest in this mail businees is extrodinaire, you really know everything there is about illegal chain letters, ok, now it is very clear where you stand on the issue, now get out, obsess about another matter and let people that have tried it and failed let other people know and maybe warn them. You are pushing the matter to where people don't want to believe you because you are so obsessed with the issue. You obviously have no life except to tell somebody else what they are doing wrong, you probably get off on turning people in to the authorities too. If you have tried it let people know that it failed and go on about your business. |
tb
in in AZ
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Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 | 07:03 PM
Ok, so I got this same letter this week and am doing research, which is how I found this forum. I also looked up the people on my list and all appear to be real people, unlike the last one I received where all the people were faked. After reading this thread, I have a couple of questions, after reading the link to the USPS about Chain letters, etc.
1) If these are illegal and NEVER work, why do people keep sending them out if no one ever makes any money at them? Someone started this letter way back when (it's a lot longer ago than 2003, btw). Someone, somewhere is likely making some money on this, though maybe a lot less than the "come on" in the letter, so to say they "never" work seems a little weak, in terms of facts.
2) For those who really want to try this, are you willing to do some work? Rather than drilling home ad nauseum that "this letter is illegal because....", why not come up with a way to make it truly legal? In other words, turn it into a legitimate mail order solicitation. If I'm understanding correctly, it's the lack of a real product or service AND the promise of LOTS of money that make this illegal. Fix those two issues and haven't you fixed the legality problem? Then it's just a case of promoting a product someone will actually buy.
Yes? No? Am I correct in my interpretation? |
Tami:Dream Catcher
in Washington, DC metro
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Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 | 09:24 PM
JiJi said:
"Let people alone and let them learn from their experiences and tell other people what they have learned, good and bad."
That's what I'm doing. I plan to get back with my experiences....good or bad.
tb said:
"2) For those who really want to try this, are you willing to do some work?"
I'm doing 200 or so just as I had received them which is 5 copies in each letter.
tb said:
"If I'm understanding correctly, it's the lack of a real product or service AND the promise of LOTS of money that make this illegal."
Part of it is you send money and ask to be put on a mailing list. That would be a service in my estimation. I don't think promising a lot of money is what would make it illegal. When I buy a lottery ticket, I do so with the hopes of winning a lot of money...mega millions, maybe. For some people it's a habit. But sometimes they win. Same with the stock market. I've heard of people losing their shirt playing the stock market, which is a more sophisticated way of gambling.
If I have a bad list I could lose, but I'm using a list from somewhere else, that I'm sure is a good list and a list from a company that sells lists.
Hey, I don't smoke, drink much, but I do gamble a little once in a while. This is better for me than taking $200.00 to the race tracks or OTB or that on line gambling. I think a friend of mine is addicted to that. He's CPA and always online gambling or playing the horses. He loses more than he wins. Is he a sucker? Maybe, but he enjoys the races. He spends too much on that, I think. Not my place to tell him how to spend his money.
What money I put into this is my money. It will cost me more in stamps for mailing than what I'd be sending these people to get on their list. The good thing is I can do it at my leisure.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. |
Cranky Media Guy
Member
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Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 | 03:06 AM
jiji said:
"ok Cranky, as we can see this is your website to control. Let people alone and let them learn from their experiences and tell other people what they have learned, good and bad."
Let's see if I understand your position. You think that people should feel free to break the law and other people should NOT point out that the activity they're advocating is illegal. Fascinating.
By the way, I do not "control" this website in any way. I've never even met Alex, the guy who DOES own and control the site. If I DID control the site, don't you think I would delete postings claiming that chain letters are legal?
"it is very clear where you stand on the issue, now get out, obsess about another matter and let people that have tried it and failed let other people know and maybe warn them."
Again, you seem to feel that a person having actual INFORMATION about the illegality and impossibility of chain letters shouldn't inform others. Again, fascinating.
"You are pushing the matter to where people don't want to believe you because you are so obsessed with the issue. You obviously have no life except to tell somebody else what they are doing wrong, you probably get off on turning people in to the authorities too."
Why don't you Google for "ad hominem attack?"
"If you have tried it let people know that it failed and go on about your business."
Just as Tami wants to avoid discussing the impossible math that would be required to make chain letters work, YOU want to avoid discussing their illegality. |
Cranky Media Guy
Member
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Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 | 03:26 AM
tb said:
"1) If these are illegal and NEVER work, why do people keep sending them out if no one ever makes any money at them?"
The short, sarcastic (although accurate) answer is that a LOT of people are marks. People have been going to palm readers for centuries. People still fall for the Nigerian scam where you get a letter from a guy who tells you that he is trying to "liberate" a family fortune and he needs your help (tranlation: your money) to get it, which he will, of course, share with you even though that has received MUCH press attention.
I guess those and many other scams are legitimate because they've been around for some time, right?
"Someone started this letter way back when (it's a lot longer ago than 2003, btw)."
How do you know that? You believe that just because the letters says so? Maybe it's true, maybe it isn't.
"Someone, somewhere is likely making some money on this, though maybe a lot less than the "come on" in the letter, so to say they "never" work seems a little weak, in terms of facts."
The organizers of a chain letter have a chance of making money because they are the ones that the suckers who join early on send their money to. People who get in later CANNOT make money from a chain letter.
I would be fascinated to see your explanation of how everyone in a chain can make more money than they put in. Where does the magic extra money come from?
"If I'm understanding correctly, it's the lack of a real product or service AND the promise of LOTS of money that make this illegal."
There's more to it than that. As I asked before, how can everyone in the chain make more money than they put in? How does that magic work? Here's a clue: IT CAN'T. That's why chain letters are illegal.
"Fix those two issues and haven't you fixed the legality problem? Then it's just a case of promoting a product someone will actually buy."
There's a version of essentially the same scam as a chain letter which DOES involve a product. It's called a "pyramid scheme." They are also illegal, for the same reason: THEY CAN'T WORK EITHER.
In the case of a pyramid scheme, the product or products are essentially a fake-out to divert you from figuring out that they are really just like a chain letter, just not involving the mail.
Why do you people keep avoiding the issue of the impossible math in a chain letter? Are you perfectly cognizant of it and are just counting on being in on the chain before it collapses, leaving people who get in after you holding the bag? |
Cranky Media Guy
Member
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Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 | 03:42 AM
Tami bloviated:
"Part of it is you send money and ask to be put on a mailing list. That would be a service in my estimation. I don't think promising a lot of money is what would make it illegal. When I buy a lottery ticket, I do so with the hopes of winning a lot of money...mega millions, maybe. For some people it's a habit. But sometimes they win. Same with the stock market. I've heard of people losing their shirt playing the stock market, which is a more sophisticated way of gambling."
Utter nonsense. Sorry, Tami, but "your estimation" in this matter is worthless. So, what's your excuse for not doing any of the simple things I suggested (like asking one of the thousands of lawyers in your home town of Washington, D.C. or visiting the Library of Congress to read any of the dozens of books there about scams) to find out if chain letters are legal)? Oh, right, who needs FACTS when they have their "estimation?"
Lotteries are LEGAL (at least those run by the state). The stock market is LEGAL. Neither of those use impossible math to promise riches to participants. State-run lotteries actually tell you what the odds are. Chain letters, which are ILLEGAL, on the other hand, promise riches based on impossible math. Get the distinction yet?
"If I have a bad list I could lose, but I'm using a list from somewhere else, that I'm sure is a good list and a list from a company that sells lists."
Oh, really? What is the "company" which supplied you the list? Since it's perfectly legal, according to you, you should have NO problem letting us know what legitimate, reliable company it is. By the way, how could anyone put together a list of people who would participate in a chain letter? How would you know that about them to be able to compile such a list?
There are legitimate companies which sell mailing lists for legal uses. None of them would have a problem with you disclosing their name. So, please let us know which one you are dealing with.
Assuming you actually obtained some kind of list from some company, has it ever occurred to you that there *could* be one or more postal service agents on it for the express purpose of catching people operating a chain letter? I have NO knowledge of such a thing, but it seems like an obvious and easy way to catch people breaking postal law. |
Charybdis
in Hell
Member
|
Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 | 10:01 AM
2) For those who really want to try this, are you willing to do some work? Rather than drilling home ad nauseum that "this letter is illegal because....", why not come up with a way to make it truly legal? In other words, turn it into a legitimate mail order solicitation. If I'm understanding correctly, it's the lack of a real product or service AND the promise of LOTS of money that make this illegal. Fix those two issues and haven't you fixed the legality problem? Then it's just a case of promoting a product someone will actually buy.
Selling a real product or service through the mail is perfectly legal, assuming the product/service itself is legal and you meet all legal certifications and such. The thing is, that's exactly what Sear & Roebuck did for over a century - mail order catalogs. It's not a new idea. But just like any business venture, there is no guarantee that you'll make a profit. Good luck to you if you try it.
But this is a completely different concept from chain letters. In a chain letter you send money to someone else with the hopes that people you send the letter to will send you money. Or gifts, it's the same thing.
The problem is, as one commentor noted above, why not keep your money and simply send the list out anyway with your name on it? Then any money that people send you, over the cost of your mailings, is pure profit because you don't have to pay out yourself. And that's the main failing here. It depends on people being honest for anyone to see a return, but your odds of profit increase if you yourself are dishonest. Everyone else can come to this same conclusion, so at best you might get a couple of truly honest people to send you something but the rest will play it dishonestly.
And even if everyone was honest about it, there's still a limit to the number of people who can make money off of it. Even if you eventually reached every single person on the planet, those last few people will have nobody to forward the letters to. They can't forward them to people who have already participated because then those people would simply be paying out the money they received, resulting in a balance of zero for those people. All you would be doing is moving stacks of money from one person to another with no way to keep it if you stay in the chain.
So the chain has to end for anyone to actually profit, but again those last people will have paid out and seen no return themselves. Everyone else will have profited off of their loss. That's why it's a scam, everyone can't profit, there's nowhere else for the money to come from. |
Charybdis
in Hell
Member
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Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 | 10:08 AM
As for the idea of people selling lists...
As Cranky said, where do they get these lists? They can't know who will and who won't participate, so they're probably just creating them randomly. You could do the same just by looking up addresses in the phone book. In fact, the idea of needing to buy addresses from someone is ludicrous - a decent sized city phonebook will provide enough addresses to last for years of mailings.
This fact alone should make someone very distrustful of such address services. In fact, if chain letters are such a good way to make money why aren't they using the addresses themselves? The answer is because they know that chain letters are illegal. Selling addresses isn't. They're taking advantage of people who are gullible enough to purchase a useless list from them. |
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