|
A Postal-Mail Chain Letter?
|
Posted By:
Maegan
in Tampa, FL - USA
Nov 14, 2004
|
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
|
Page 4 of 89 pages ‹ First < 2 3 4 5 6 > Last › |
Cranky Media Guy
Member
|
Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 | 03:43 PM
Eightieschick70 said:
"Why in the letter does it tell you tp put away a percentage of the money for taxes???"
They do it to try to convince you to get involved with the chain. They want to make it look as if they aren't encouraging you to participate in an illegal scam. After all, if they telling you to pay your taxes, they MUST be legitimate, right?
The sad fact is, the vast majority of people who get into chain letters aren't going to have any newfound money to pay taxes on. Just ask yourself how it would be possible for everyone to come out ahead. Where would the extra money come from? |
Lexi
in Ohio
|
Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 | 01:24 PM
I am trying to decide if I should do this or not. I have figured out how much this would cost to do. It would cost $45 to buy the list of names from the mailing list company. $6 Topay to the peaople for adding your name to thier mailing list, and $70 For stamps add in what envelopes would cost and you havespent around $126. In order for this to be illegal some one would have to be jipping you out of your money. As the letter says you would be paying people to add your name to there list. If you ask them to do this. It IS NOT illegal. I would like to know if this has worked for anyone. If Joseph from florida reads this you are number one in my letter. I wouldlike to know how much you have recieved. Thanks |
Cranky Media Guy
Member
|
Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 | 03:12 PM
Lexi said:
"In order for this to be illegal some one would have to be jipping you out of your money."
Lexi, postal chain letters are illegal. Period. They have been for many years now. You can check this with your local postmaster/mistress.
I know you very much want to believe that it ISN'T illegal so that, if you decide to participate, you aren't breaking the law, but you WILL BE if you do. |
gaming
in us
|
Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 | 05:15 PM
I wouldn't want to open 800,000 letters...lol. |
shell
in charlotte, nc
|
Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 | 03:51 PM
The person doing the scaming is the post office.They are the ones getting all the money, 41 cent stamp times 200??? right.. my first reaction is this was sent from the us postal office. |
Cranky Media Guy
Member
|
Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 | 08:42 PM
shell said:
"The person doing the scaming is the post office.They are the ones getting all the money, 41 cent stamp times 200??? right.. my first reaction is this was sent from the us postal office."
Uh, what evidence do you have for that accusation? Chain letters have existed for decades, going back at least as far as the Great Depression. That's LONG before 41 cents postage. |
Eightieschick70
in minnesota
|
Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 | 03:32 AM
yes it is long before stamps were 41 cents cranky but.... you know inflation. anyway you look at it your spending money most of us dont have and THIS DOESNT WORK!!!!! ive tryed it. I diddnt get one response, even though I only sent out half of the letters. I still would have gotton something, IF IT WORKED. whos to say that people would be honest and send a dollar to the ones on the list? what is keeping people from just getting the stamps and doing it without sending the 5 people a dollar? The post office if benifitting greatly from chain mail. (almost makes me wonder if it isnt a government conspiasy.) you know the rich are always looking for ways to scam money off of the poor. thats how a majority of them become rich in the first place. have a great day, and dont allow anyone to scam you please. |
Cranky Media Guy
Member
|
Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 | 04:12 PM
Eightieschick 70 said:
"I diddnt get one response, even though I only sent out half of the letters. I still would have gotton something, IF IT WORKED."
You didn't get a response because it's a SCAM. It isn't designed for YOU to make money; it's designed for the person or persons who started the chain to make money.
The post office is NOT behind chain letters. If you ask your local postmaster/postmistress, they'll tell you that chain letters are ILLEGAL. They have been since at least the 1930's when they were a national fad.
As with a lot of get-rich-quick scams, chain letters become popular at times of financial hardship. Chain letters are really just a mail-based form of a pyramid scheme. I fully expect to see non-mail pyramid schemes making a comeback any time now. Keep your eyes open for those. |
Eightieschick70
in minnesota
|
Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 | 12:24 PM
Crankey, did you read the rest of my posting? thats exactly what I just said!!!! |
Cranky Media Guy
Member
|
Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 | 03:58 PM
Well, you said that you thought the post office might be behind chain letters and I was refuting that notion.
While I agree with you that it often seems as if the rich profit off the poor, I really doubt that it's rich people who run chain letters, either.
Mostly it's just some individual who thinks they've reinvented the wheel, so to speak, and figures a chain letter is a way to make some fast and easy money. |
James
in Georgia
|
Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 | 01:17 PM
It worked for me. I didn't make $800,000.00, but i made a little over half at $413,610.00! Don't knock it until you try it-- If you follow the instructions it will work. I thought it was a scam, but I decided the total investment of $120.00 was worth a shot. I have decided to re-enroll into college and pursue my dreams instead of working 9-5 and barely surviving each month. I will do this again. My father, who is a current politician and former attorney, verified the legality of the program. He stated it was not illegal unless you manipulate the letter and ask for money--because remember you are still selling something, compiling a mailing list! |
Charybdis
in Hell
Member
|
Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 | 03:23 PM
Wow, what a completely bogus comment. Let's see if we can trace your IP and report you for admitting to mail fraud.  |
Cranky Media Guy
|
Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 | 04:16 PM
James said:
"My father, who is a current politician and former attorney, verified the legality of the program. He stated it was not illegal unless you manipulate the letter and ask for money--because remember you are still selling something, compiling a mailing list!"
Hey, James, tell your "father" that he doesn't know what he's talking about.
That "you're selling something" excuse has been used for decades to defend chain letters. Sorry, that does NOT get you off the hook. As I've said repeatedly, all a person has to do is check with their postmaster.
If it was legal as you say, why wouldn't everyone be doing it? Tell your "father" that he's full of shit. |
Tina
in Chaska mn 55318
|
Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 | 04:22 PM
James, Im not knocking anything that I havent tryed. Mabey you just got lucky. I diddnt get one response, All I managed to achieve is wastin time and money that I dont have in the first place. |
Jadedmiller
in Ohio
|
Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 | 03:06 PM
Everyone is cracking me up on here! Charybdis
in Hell, who are you to trace these poor people?
Why would you want someone to get arrested, just for trying to get ahead in life? Leave these people alone!It looks as if NOONE really knows if this specific chain letter is illegal. I, myself have received this letter as well. I have no desire to turn these people into the authorities just for trying to make some money. No, I haven't yet joined in, but I may. There are SO MANY of these in circulation, don't you think that maybe one of the authorities may have received one, and arrested the bad guys if it was soooo illegal? Jeez, I'd be more worried about predators than people mailing out a stupid letter! |
Charybdis
in Hell
Member
|
Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 | 10:07 AM
Well Jadedmiller, since it was obviously a bogus comment aimed at inflaming us I simply replied with a sarcastic retort. Evidently it went over your head.
As for poor people trying to get ahead in life, you're right - I should leave them alone. In fact, the next time I see someone breaking into a house I won't bother calling the police. After all, I don't know that they're breaking the law, and they're probably just trying to make some money anyway.
Face it, chain letters asking for money or gifts are illegal. It's incredibly easy to verify this with your local postmaster if you're confused by the concept. The fact that you don't see anything wrong with it doesn't alter the law one bit.
As I said earlier, the odds of you going to jail are very small. There are far too many people forwarding them for the post office to track them down and prosecute them all. It does happen, but probably not to you. But just because the odds favor you in an illegal activity doesn't make it right, either morally or legally. But I guess that doesn't bother you. |
Cranky Media Guy
|
Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 | 04:23 PM
Jadedmiller said:
"It looks as if NOONE really knows if this specific chain letter is illegal."
Chain letters are illegal. Period. They have been since at least the 1930's when they were a huge fad (because of the Great Depression and people's desperation), causing the post office to have to hire extra people to handle the extra load. I'll repeat that since people keep coming to this thread and saying that they aren't sure: CHAIN LETTERS ARE ILLEGAL. PERIOD.
"There are SO MANY of these in circulation, don't you think that maybe one of the authorities may have received one, and arrested the bad guys if it was soooo illegal?"
Do you know for a fact that the authorities aren't investigating this at this very moment? Or that no one has been prosecuted recently for being involved in a chain letter?
"Jeez, I'd be more worried about predators than people mailing out a stupid letter!"
Your "logic" here is irrational. The post office wouldn't typically be the organization involved in dealing with predators. The one has little to do with the other. What the post office does or doesn't choose to prosecute would not impact other law enforcement organizations that might be involved in catching predators. |
James
in Georgia
|
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 | 12:23 PM
CrankyMediaGuy: I understand that you are a very angry individual, but come on is using curse words needed? I feel sorry for you, but I will pray for you still.
Anyways, I was a skeptic just like everyone else, but It worked for me. I have been discussing this issue with my father for a few weeks now and I still feel like I made the right decision. |
Tina
in minnesota
|
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 | 01:22 PM
Like I said Before James, Im really glad that it worked for you but, you just got really lucky. I did try it and not one response. whos to say that these people , even the ones that try it are even going to send a dollar to the people on the list. The world just isnt that honest. you took a gamble and you came out ahead. I certinly wouldnt recomend this for someone who really has no money to begin with. It could be like throwing away 135 dollars to someone with very little money, that could pay a utilaty bill or a weeks worth of groceries or something. good luck to you and I hope this continues to work for you. I just know that it diddnt work for me or a majority of the people here who have tryed it. |
Cranky Media Guy
|
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 | 04:24 PM
James said:
"CrankyMediaGuy: I understand that you are a very angry individual, but come on is using curse words needed? I feel sorry for you, but I will pray for you still."
Oh, is THAT what you "understand?" Funny, I'm not angry about anything that I can see.
Since you're into "understanding," why do you seem to have so much trouble understanding the simple fact that chain letters are ILLEGAL and have been for decades?
"Anyways, I was a skeptic just like everyone else, but It worked for me. I have been discussing this issue with my father for a few weeks now and I still feel like I made the right decision."
Did you father tell you that it's OK to break the law? You know, seeing as how he's a "current politician and former attorney" and all.
By the way, WHY is he a "former attorney?" Was he disbarred? Seeing as how he doesn't seem to know that chain letters are illegal (or is willing to advise his son to ignore the law), I wouldn't be surprised.
Either way, I stand by my "full of shit" comment.
Don't bother to pray for me. Your faith is no more sincere than your willful ignorance of the law. |
|
Page 4 of 89 pages ‹ First < 2 3 4 5 6 > Last › |
In order to post comments you have to register as a member of the site. We were forced to restrict commenting because spammers were flooding the comment form with spam and crashing the server.
|
Note: This thread is located in the Old Forum of the Museum of Hoaxes.
|
