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Last Resort Retrieval
A few of you have noticed the strange ad that is now running on my site (in the left-hand column) for a company called 'Last Resort Retrieval' that claims to specialize in recovering stolen art. Yes it is a hoax site, or rather it's part of a marketing campaign for a product other than a company that recovers stolen art. But that's about all I can say about it, because I'm supposed to keep the secret (since they're paying me to put the ad there).

The thing is, I really don't think it would be easy to guess what product they're marketing, though I think the ads are going to develop over time and offer more clues. If you go to the site and click on the 'login' screen, you'll discover it's possible to login without a username or password.

p.s. I don't get any extra money if you click on the ad. They pay a flat fee to put the ad there. I just thought it was worth pointing out the strangeness of a hoax ad running on a site about hoaxes.
Categories: Advertising
Posted by Alex on Sun Apr 03, 2005		 Comments (12)
Comments
Isn't this like some online mystery novel or game? Vaguely remember reading about it in either Wired or Boing Boing or maybe even was it the NYTimes? All the clues have to be culled from the emails found on victim's computer, or something to that effect.

Hope they are paying you through the nose Alex.
Posted by andychrist  on  Sun Apr 03, 2005  at  12:18 PM
I just thought it was worth pointing out the strangeness of a hoax ad running on a site about hoaxes.

LOL I think it is priceless!
Posted by Myst  on  Sun Apr 03, 2005  at  01:08 PM
Its an arg currently being discussed and played at unfiction.com:

http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/index.php?c=20
Posted by davetolomy  on  Sun Apr 03, 2005  at  02:43 PM
They spelled it "thru" when they had plenty of space to write "through." I have no respect for them anymore.
Posted by Citizen Premier  in  spite of public outcry  on  Sun Apr 03, 2005  at  05:26 PM
Speaking of stolen art, some valuable paintings of Dutch masters have been stolen in Holland last couple of months. And the crime of stealing art pays there, because the term of limitation will exceed after twenty year. So if you've stolen a Vermeer and show up after 20 years, you can sell it legally. You can even say you've stolen it, without being prosecuted. Talk about a hole in the judicial system...
Posted by Tychikus  on  Mon Apr 04, 2005  at  12:47 AM
Tychikus, wouldn't Interpol be involved in that?
Posted by Winona  in  USA  on  Mon Apr 04, 2005  at  08:08 AM
Hoax ad or not, I knew something was BS when they claimed to recover 80% of their clients artwork.
Posted by sbnature  on  Mon Apr 04, 2005  at  11:36 AM
I like their current ad
Jonathon Swifts - A Modest Proposal
Isn't that the one where he suggests eating young children
Posted by Sharruma  on  Mon Apr 04, 2005  at  12:15 PM
Yes, "A Modest Proposal" is perhaps the greatest work of serious satire ever written. Serious because Swift's point was that eating the poor children of Ireland would be kinder and more constructive than the English were treating them at the time.
It's brilliant because, while proposing just about the most preposterous and outrageous thing anybody could think of, Swift anticipates and refutes just about every possible objection to his plan, and lacerates his opponents in the process.
If I had vast amounts of money, and a legitimate (not stolen) first edition of "A Modest Proposal" were up for sale, I would certainly bid on it.
By the way, the 1769 publication date in the ad is presumably part of the hoax. Swift wrote and published "A Modest Proposal" in 1729. He died in 1745.
Posted by Big Gary C  in  Dallas, Texas  on  Mon Apr 04, 2005  at  04:53 PM
Hi Guys,

Since this is the first page Google returns for LRR searches, I really want to clarify for newcomers: This is NOT a hoax. At least not in the traditional sense this site follows. This is a game, and a very good game for that matter.

Check out the sites:
http://www.virgilkingofcode.com
http://www.lastresortretrieval.com
http://www.stolena3.com

If you like what you see, join the nice people here who are discussing it and trying to solve the mystery:
http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/index.php?c=20

Let's get to the bottom of this thing!
Posted by ARGplayer  on  Thu Apr 07, 2005  at  04:23 AM
I like how Alex is now quoted on their ad. It's funnier because of how his quote is completely random compared to the other ones.
Posted by Rochelle  on  Sun May 22, 2005  at  09:01 AM
Very clever even nominated for a top blogad for the hoax.
Posted by John  in  Minnesota  on  Wed Sep 28, 2005  at  02:36 PM
Comments: Page 1 of 1 pages

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