MOH Forum: A Postal-Mail Chain Letter?

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: 1759

Comments

Page 25 of 30 pages ‹ First < 23 24 25 26 27 > Last ›
lstewart1126 Member	Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 \| 09:06 AM And hey one more thing dont insult my intellegance. I'm 18 years old. But i did just gradaute in the top 5 percent of my class. I am going to the university of illinois as a business major. When i graduate from there i know that i will be making more money than you have ever made. So looks like the joke is on you dude
hcmomof4 in So. Cal. Member	Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 \| 11:14 AM "But i did just gradaute in the top 5 percent of my class." This is a very sad statement.
htownmonny	Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 \| 04:46 PM hi stewert!!! :coolhmm:
htownmommy	Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 \| 05:00 PM Why do you have to be so rude momof4. If he wants to send the damn letters its his choice. I mean did you have such a great career before having kids? I for one think Stewert should be proud of himself. Wasn't it you telling me something about being nicer a couple weeks ago. Get off your damn highhorse. And Stewert when the post office police take you to prison for 30 years, I will write you. I would say to send me a letter, but I have already given my donation....
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 \| 05:08 PM lstewart1126 said: "And hey one more thing dont insult my intellegance." Oh, sorry. I didn't know it was OK for YOU to say things like "The minute you stopped dreaming cranky is the minute you probably lost your girlfriend because of your masturbation to this website" but NOT OK for ME to insult your "intellegance" [sic]. If you'd like your "intellegance" not to be insulted, perhaps you should consider not putting your illiteracy on display publicly. "I sent out invites to my grad party, but most of my family couldnt come. So what they did was send me a card with 20 or 50 bucks in it, which i just found out is illegal. They are now 20 bucks poorer and im 1000 richer. I am considering turning them into the police. I just cant believe my family would want to make my life better like that." Seriously, you don't understand the difference between someone mailing you a gift and a chain letter? Wow, you ARE dumb. Here's a clue: it isn't illegal for someone to send you a legitimate gift via the mail--nor has anyone here suggested that it is. "You might think stealing dreams isnt illegal, but according to the bible stealing anything is illigal." Hmm, since when does the Bible make law in America? The Bible is about MORALITY (or at least one version of it), not LEGALITY. Did you get that from the Book of Making Silly Shit Up? Is that Old Testament or New Testament? Since you've gone Biblical on us, have you ever read the part about not bearing false witness against thy neighbor? Exhibit One would be that stuff about me supposedly masturbating to this site, whatever that means. "I am going to the university of illinois as a business major." Here's an idea: why don't you write your first paper about how chain letters work as they claim to? I'm sure your professors would appreciate the laugh. "When i graduate from there i know that i will be making more money than you have ever made." Completely speculative, since you know precisely ZERO about me AND you haven't graduated and gone into the business world yet. "But i did just gradaute in the top 5 percent of my class." Wow, American schools are even worse than I thought. By the way, you're so intent on insulting me that you have yet to address any of the points I've made about chain letters. If you could, you would but you can't. Irrelevant (and misspelled) insults are the best you can do. Good luck in the world of commerce. I think you'll find that people are reluctant to do business with nasty A-holes.
hcmomof4 in So. Cal. Member	Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 \| 05:34 PM htownmommy, it wasn't my intention to be rude. I was merely making a commentary about the state of education currently, that someone can graduate in the top 5 percent of their class without learning spelling or punctuation.
lstewart1126 Member	Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 \| 06:41 AM haha hey cranky man i honestly didnt even read what you just wrote. Why would i? Let me take a wild guess tho at what it said. I bet it said something about if i think it was legal go ask my postmaster and he will assure me that it is illegal. Am i right? Because that is what you have said in every single comment up to that one. Cranky WE ALL GET IT. You think that it is is illegal. You would rather sit on this website talking about it, than actually doing it. Which is fine with me, more money out there for the rest of us. I just think that it is funny that you devote your life to this. You must think that you are some kind of modern day super hero preventing bad things from happening to good people. Well the only bad thing that ever happened to me was reading your first comment because i got addicted to the comedy in them. And to you So Cal, i dont even know what to say to defend myself. Your right you dont have to be that smart to graduate in the top 5 percent of your class. I mean my school graduated 500 so that means 24 other kids also graduated top five percent. But i think the University of Illinois would agree that you have to be able to read and write to attend. Even though there has been some scandal going on there with people getting in because of who their parents are. But i can assure you my dad is just a pastor, and he is not the reason i got in. My 29 on my ACT got me in. Now this isnt even that great. Tons of kids beat me. Although i would like to say that i am above average. So So Cal I cant wait to be making more money than you also. Don't worry though man if you need a loan you can always call me up. I am always ready to give to the poor. Haha i am only kidding So Cal. I am sure you are a very wealthy man. God Bless
lstewart1126 Member	Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 \| 06:46 AM But back to the prison thing. Do you know one person? Or wait no have you ever even heard of one person going to prison for sending out a letter. I'm not talking about in the 1930's Pyramid Sheme times. I am talking about sending out the Oprah letter. The one that provides a service that my Post Master told me yesterday is legal. My post master is actually one of my ex girl friends dads. I saw him at our county market and thought i should see what cranky was talking about. And wait cranky if you want you dont have to say anything back. I already know what your first words are going to be. I'll quote them now. "Your Post Master doesn't know what he is talking about I'm a grumpy old man that knows everything about life" Well grumpy have fun always being right.
h-townmommy	Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 \| 03:59 PM so cal's name is hcmomof4. mom of 4. So she is a lady. And no, I have not heard of ANYONE ever going to jail from THIS letter. I was kidding!!!
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 \| 06:05 PM lstewart 1126 said: "haha hey cranky man i honestly didnt even read what you just wrote. Why would i? Let me take a wild guess tho at what it said. I bet it said something about if i think it was legal go ask my postmaster and he will assure me that it is illegal. Am i right?" Have you ever heard the old saying about what happens when we assume? No, you are NOT right. I did NOT say that. Hey, what difference do FACTS make, right? "You think that it is is illegal." I don't THINK chain letters are illegal. I KNOW that they ARE. You could know that, too, if you had any interest in the FACTS, which you don't because you want to believe in things which can magically create money out of thin air. "But i think the University of Illinois would agree that you have to be able to read and write to attend." So, since you can apparently do neither, how'd YOU slip in? "But back to the prison thing. Do you know one person? Or wait no have you ever even heard of one person going to prison for sending out a letter. I'm not talking about in the 1930's Pyramid Sheme times. I am talking about sending out the Oprah letter. The one that provides a service that my Post Master told me yesterday is legal." If you truly had read this thread as you claim to have, you would have seen these links a few pages back: http://www.usps.com/judicial/1978deci/6-72.htm http://www.usps.com/judicial/1982deci/14-54.htm http://www.ftc.gov/os/2002/02/boivinjmnt.pdf Yes, people can and do get convicted for operating chain letters. By the way, why do you refer to it as the "Oprah letter?" Oprah has never promoted a chain letter on her show and she has no connection to this scam whatsoever. "I already know what your first words are going to be. I'll quote them now. "'Your Post Master doesn't know what he is talking about I'm a grumpy old man that knows everything about life'" Actually, there are two possibilities. One is that your Post Master DOESN'T know what he's talking about. The second is that you didn't explain what you were talking about to him accurately. After all, you DID compare getting gifts from your relatives to a chain letter a day or so ago. Your grasp of the facts concerning this subject is not great. People who really HAVE read this thread will probably groan at me quoting this yet again, but here is what the U.S. Postal Service's website says about chain letters: "There's at least one problem with chain letters. They're illegal if they request money or other items of value and promise a substantial return to the participants. Chain letters are a form of gambling, and sending them through the mail (or delivering them in person or by computer, but mailing money to participate) violates Title 18, United States Code, Section 1302, the Postal Lottery Statute. (Chain letters that ask for items of minor value, like picture postcards or recipes, may be mailed, since such items are not things of value within the meaning of the law.) "The main thing to remember is that a chain letter is simply a bad investment. You certainly won't get rich. You will receive little or no money. The few dollars you may get will probably not be as much as you spend making and mailing copies of the chain letter. "Chain letters don't work because the promise that all participants in a chain letter will be winners is mathematically impossible. Also, many people participate, but do not send money to the person at the top of the list. Some others create a chain letter that lists their name numerous times--in various forms with different addressee. So, in reality, all the money in a chain is going to one person. Continued...
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 \| 06:06 PM Continued... "Do not be fooled if the chain letter is used to sell inexpensive reports on credit, mail order sales, mailing lists, or other topics. The primary purpose is to take your money, not to sell information. "Selling" a product does not ensure legality. Be doubly suspicious if there's a claim that the U.S. Postal Service or U.S. Postal Inspection Service has declared the letter legal. This is said only to mislead you. Neither the Postal Service nor Postal Inspectors give prior approval to any chain letter." "Well grumpy have fun always being right." Still bearing false witness, I see. You sure are nasty for a supposed Christian.
h-townmommy	Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 \| 06:51 PM I personally think that this chain letter is so burned out. I mean for years everyone has gotten it 5 times. So if they were ever going to try it, they probably have. Now everyone is fighting for survival. So I do think if it were something brand new, then it might actually work. Its been a month, and I have made $1. I said I would be honest, so thats it.
observer	Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 \| 07:17 PM My observations: The odds of one making a profit while doing this are slim, but not impossible. DATAFAX, Inc. is involved in this particular scheme in some way. They are making money like crazy. I have not heard of one case by which someone has been prosecuted for sending out this chain letter. If it were illegal, why isn't it being prosecuted? Crazy Media Guy, you are wacked out of your wind. You are a loser with no life. Get yourself a garden hose and some duct tape. Place the hose inside your exhaust pipe and use the tape to make a good seal. Place the other end of the hose inside of a small crack in one of the car windows. Have a seat in the car and start it up. Enjoy!
h-townmommy	Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 \| 08:56 PM Here you go momof4. I think I was a little nicer to Cranky. Tell observer to be nice......lol
hcmomof4 in So. Cal. Member	Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 \| 09:21 PM h-townmommy, for the most part, if someone is a total and complete dickwad, I make it a point of not bothering to respond at all.....
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 \| 01:19 AM observer in 225 said: "I have not heard of one case by which someone has been prosecuted for sending out this chain letter. If it were illegal, why isn't it being prosecuted?" Gee, if only someone had just posted links to stories about people who HAVE been prosecuted for involvement in chain letters. Oh wait, I just DID THAT, only three postings above yours. Eh, FACTS, who needs them? By the way, the fact that you personally don't know anyone who has been prosecuted does NOT prove that NO ONE HAS. I personally don't know any astronauts. I guess means that no one has ever been to the moon, to use your "logic." "Crazy Media Guy, you are wacked out of your wind. You are a loser with no life. Get yourself a garden hose and some duct tape. Place the hose inside your exhaust pipe and use the tape to make a good seal. Place the other end of the hose inside of a small crack in one of the car windows. Have a seat in the car and start it up. Enjoy!" How you managed not to see the proof of the very thing you "have not heard of" even though it was right in front of your face ON THIS PAGE suggests to me that you have already ingested too much carbon monoxide. Although you don't realize it, you aren't arguing with ME about whether chain letters are legal and work or not; you're arguing with mathematics, logic and the U.S. Postal Service. Good luck with all that.
lstewart1126 Member	Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 \| 06:56 AM I have been to dozens of these forums all about this oprah chain letter. I have probably seen 10 to 20 people that said they made five or more grand off of this. Then Maybe one or two people that said they made over one hundred grand (they were probably lying). But the one thing i havent seen or heard is one single person being prosecuted. You said something a couple years ago about robbing banks and it is easy to tell that robbing banks is illegal because everyone that does it goes to jail. But then with chain letters not one single person goes to jail. HUH! What are the odds of that. I think if anything you could call it a scam. But how much of a scam would it be without this website. Cranky think how many people you have talked out of doing this. Those people that you talked out of doing it could have been one of the people underneath someone on this very chat room. So everyone on this chat room that doesnt see a profit, you have CRANKY to thank. And yes i am a very good christian my dad is a pastor. I am only trying to help people. You might think your doing the right thing, except no body cares about what you have to say. I can tell you that after reading your first three comments everyone on this forum started ignoring you. If anything they might have made a name on this website just to tell you how worthless you are. I stil love you though cranky. In the bible it says to love your enemies. So i do. Oh and funny story! When i was younger i would always pray before i went to bed. But in the last few months or maybe even years i have stopped doing so. There really just wasnt anything that i wanted bad enough to pray for it. But you have given me a new prayer. It goes please god whatever you DO NOT let me turn out like Cranky Media Guy when i get older, I would just like to have some friends. Ha Cranky you crack me up.
h-townmommy	Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 \| 01:18 PM Well, it isn't my head on the chopping block this week..... :roll: As I said Stewert. I sent out exactly 200 letters. It has been a month, and I only got $1. I do think that at one time the letter did work, but it is really burned out now. I am 29, and this was the 4th one I have received. Chances are that people who receive this letter, has seen it several times. It really is just throwing money away. No, I am not feeling bad about hurting anyone, it was an experiment. It was my own money I threw away, not anyone elses. Now I still feel like its someones personal choice to do. And if anyone makes anything on it in 2009, I would like to know!!!
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 \| 01:58 PM lstewart1126 said: "I have been to dozens of these forums all about this oprah chain letter." Why do you insist on calling it the "Oprah letter?" As I explained to you, Oprah has never endorsed a chain letter and she has NOTHING to do with this or any other chain letter. "But the one thing i havent seen or heard is one single person being prosecuted." OK, this has gone beyond comical to pathetic. On THIS VERY PAGE are three links to stories about prosecutions of people involved in chain letters. Would it help your comprehension if I copied them yet again right here? OK: http://www.usps.com/judicial/1978deci/6-72.htm http://www.usps.com/judicial/1982deci/14-54.htm http://www.ftc.gov/os/2002/02/boivinjmnt.pdf "You said something a couple years ago about robbing banks and it is easy to tell that robbing banks is illegal because everyone that does it goes to jail." I never said that. By the way, you have that whole thing precisely backwards. Things are not illegal because people go to jail for them. They go to jail for them BECAUSE THEY'RE ILLEGAL. "But then with chain letters not one single person goes to jail. HUH! What are the odds of that. I think if anything you could call it a scam. But how much of a scam would it be without this website." Uh, scams are just another name for a certain type of crime. I cannot follow the "logic" of your notion that chain letters wouldn't be illegal if it wasn't for this website. It truly is difficult trying to explain simple things to someone as irrational as you. "Cranky think how many people you have talked out of doing this. Those people that you talked out of doing it could have been one of the people underneath someone on this very chat room. So everyone on this chat room that doesnt see a profit, you have CRANKY to thank." I can only hope that I have convinced some people not to take part in a decades-old scam which costs people money, especially in a time of deep recession. "And yes i am a very good christian my dad is a pastor." Your father's accomplishments do NOT automatically accrue to you. Would a "good Christian" show up in a discussion thread and start off by accusing someone they don't know of masturbating? I'll repeat what I said before: you need to look into the whole concept of "bearing false witness." "I can tell you that after reading your first three comments everyone on this forum started ignoring you. If anything they might have made a name on this website just to tell you how worthless you are." It's sad that you don't see the irony in that comment. I've said repeatedly that this thread is NOT about ME, but people like you (who "don't care what I say") keep trying to MAKE IT BE about me. "I stil love you though cranky. In the bible it says to love your enemies." Which you demonstrate by accusing me of masturbating and calling me old, etc. Fascinating concept of "love" you have there. "[Y]ou have given me a new prayer. It goes please god whatever you DO NOT let me turn out like Cranky Media Guy when i get older, I would just like to have some friends." More of that "love," I take it. In all your postings, you have completely ignored the central points: that chain letters are illegal and don't work in favor of insulting me for saying those things--and PROVING them. You SO want to believe in the ridiculous that you can't see the evidence which has been presented to you numerous times. That trail will not serve you well in your attempt to have a business career.
That Darn Blister	Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 \| 03:47 AM You know, lstewart1126, I could point out your posts on this forum to your employer. I don't think Vector will want to keep a salesman who is terminally clueless regarding anti-fraud laws. They have a reputation to protect.
That Darn Blister	Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 \| 04:00 AM Oh, about the Oprah claims, read the following: http://ezinearticles.com/?Online-Money-Scams---The-Oprah-Make-Money-Chain-Letter&id=758679 http://www.silcom.com/~barnowl/chain-letter/archive/me2009-02_oprah_s1x6q200_5pp.html http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/ConsumerProtection/scamnet/Scams/PayPal_-_Fast_Easy_M.html Complete hogwash. Oprah never said one good word about a chain letter on her show. Much less endorsed one.
lstewart1126 Member	Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 \| 06:51 AM Ok everybody i only call it the oprah chain letter because i want everyone to know which one i am talking about. What would everyone like me to call it? Then i only made a name on this website to talk to cranky. I am not sending out any letters because yes i can tell it is illegal. As you can see i do not really care about the letters they are not making anybody rich. I am only talking to cranky because it is funny thats all. And That Darn Blister, do me and you know each other? Maybe i am a different lstewart than you think i am. But yes everybody all of my posts are for the comedy aspect nothing more. Other forums have also talked me out of sending the letters. I am aware that they will not work. I guess this is my apology to cranky and everyone else in here. So there ya are. Cranky are you a little less cranky now?
h-townmommy	Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 \| 02:51 PM Do you really know him? He turned a complete 360 from something you said.
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 \| 07:03 PM And another troll is chased back under the bridge. Very nice work, Blister!
That Darn Blister	Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 \| 10:50 PM No, I don't know him. I just tracked down a post he made on another site where he discussed how he's been selling knives for Vector Marketing for a little over a week. And left enough info about himself for them to identify who he is from it, if reported to their management.
lstewart1126 Member	Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 \| 09:43 AM hello everyone im back just thought i talk about something. How are you doing cranky? O yeah here is a website that talks about blackmail, isnt it funny you are trying to get me to not break the law, and in doing so you broke a law. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackmail It has the definition of blackmail and how it is illegal, and how you just broke the law. That is funny dont ya think?
hcmomof4 in So. Cal. Member	Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 \| 01:21 PM "the crime is making demands to withhold it" No one threatened you, telling you you had to do something or the information would be released....
That Darn Blister	Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 \| 07:32 PM And just what country is that law from, Stewart? Do you really think I'm British?
Lina	Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 \| 08:08 PM I received this letter in the mail today. It really sounded good. I almost ordered the address labels...I was really worried about putting my name and address and mailing it out to 200 people. I didn't think about this being illegal, it never even crossed my mind. I was more worried about identity theft and people knowing my address. Something told me if it sounded to good to be true it is...so I searched it on google and glad I found this site, thanks everyone for your input. I understand now that you could punished for this, however the people involved were victims just looking to make extra income and I don't believe they should be treated as criminals....as this could of happened to many of us. The ones that started this should be punished however..since they are the ones to start something illegal.
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 \| 02:54 AM lstewart1126 said: "How are you doing cranky? O yeah here is a website that talks about blackmail, isnt it funny you are trying to get me to not break the law, and in doing so you broke a law." Uh, are you addressing that to me? If so, WHY?
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 \| 02:55 AM Lina said: "The ones that started this should be punished however..since they are the ones to start something illegal." The people who operate chain letters ARE the ones the law goes after, Lina.
not a fool	Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 \| 03:18 PM The BIG winner is going to get, not just $1, but $45 from EVERY participant. That would be the seller of some mailing list of dubious reliability. A fool and her money are soon parted.
not a fool	Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 \| 03:23 PM On top of that, the list sellers may be totally legit, or at least have covered their tracks to hide their conspiracy in the scam. But maybe not since $45 for 200 names is way above market average.
not a fool	Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 \| 08:22 PM "The ones that started this should be punished however..since they are the ones to start something illegal." How would you know who started it? The names are supposed to be continuously revised. If the letter is in the 10th level, whoever started it is long forgotten. My list has six names on it. How could I know if the person at the top started it? Besides the ones who perpetuate it are committing the same offense. The 'I didn't know' defense is no less valid for the originator if you buy it at all. Person 1 sends letters to 200 Total 200 Each of those send letters to 200 Total 40,000 (200x200) Each of those send letters to 200 Total 8,000,000 (200 x 40000) Each of those send letters to 200 Total 1,600,000 (200 x 8M) and that's only the fourth mailing Figure a 5% fool rate: 10 replies for 200 mailings Person 1 finds 10 fools 10 2nd level fools find 100 more fools 100 3rd level fools find 1000 more fools 1000 4th level fools find 10,000 more fools 10,000 5th level fools find 100,000 more fools 100,000 6th level fools find 1 million more fools It's easy to see that by the eight level you would need twice as many fools than voted for Obama. Very tempting for a phony Direct Mail List seller to start up one of these. The heck with the buck if you can dupe every fool to send you 45.
robin	Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 \| 02:17 PM Im back after almost 2 months i did my experimentation and this is definately crap! Im sure lots of people can say ,,,,well I could of told you that dumb ass! I gave it a try and didnt receive nothing but 1 measly doller!,,,hmn my bad,,,,, but now I know that this is a scam letter big time! but i beleive in being open minded and thinking I would give it a try ,,,but please dont invest in this ,,,its a waste of time and money!
Mel	Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 \| 06:01 PM Hi, I received the same letter and I have participated in it just to put my curiosoty to rest. The money I mailed to six people where $2.00 each and they're suppose to send me back each a recipe. I already got 1 back so far and am waiting for $5.00 more. Hey! if I'm doing it then I know that somebody else will too. So I'll give it about 5 months to see if I really make the money. As for your question, one way that your name and address might have been found is when you participated in a multi-level marketing product..it could be vitamins, etc.
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 \| 06:55 PM Hi, Robin. Anyone who knows anything about chain letters won't be surprised by what you report. The thing to know, though, is that even if YOU personally got back more than you put in, that wouldn't prove that the chain was a "success." Any profit that anyone makes in a chain letter or other type of Ponzi scheme is just coming from losses by other participants. Let's say you put in one dollar and get ten dollars back. From YOUR point of view, the chain has produced nine dollars profit. Nine other people, though, see it as a loss of one dollar each. What's so great about that? A ratio of nine losers to one winner is hardly something to crow about.
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 \| 06:59 PM Mel said: "The money I mailed to six people where $2.00 each and they're suppose to send me back each a recipe. I already got 1 back so far and am waiting for $5.00 more." I'm confused. Where do the recipes come in? Is this one of those deals where they tell you that because there's a "product" involved (the recipes), then the chain is legal? Just so you know, that myth has been addressed several times in this thread. The exact part of the Postal Service's website which talks about that has been quoted recently. Please go back a page or two and read it. Attaching a "product," "service" or "report" to a chain letter does NOT automatically make it legal. The authorities are on to that scam.
jea6321 Member	Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 \| 09:04 PM These types of letters do not work in our day and age of internet info and instant research. I personally do not have anything against it, but is by illegal for a reason and that is there are no real tangible products being produced or distributed. there have been a lot of this going on recently under the different name of cash gifting. Basically you are just doing a money exchange game. It seems to me that most people who participate are people who are either lazy and looking for the easiest get rich quick scheme out there, or they are desperate and looking for anything that seems hopeful to make some income in these hard economic times. regardless this is NOT the way to do it. Things in north america, and around the world for that matter, are not going to be getting easier in the future. things are going to be getting much worse. please listen to 15yearsleft.com and then do some research of your own on the coming economic situation.
mi8ke	Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 \| 07:47 AM :-) i recived 300,023.00 in the mail its great!
mike	Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 \| 07:53 AM im lovin it i made money allot!!!!!!!!!!
DIVA	Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 \| 08:17 AM I sent in this letter 4 weeks ago and so far I've got over $500...and more is coming in...I've already got what I put into it back, and then some! I can't wait to see how much I'm going to get total! It sucks getting all $1 bills...but money is money. You all can say what you want...I have worked since I've been 16 years old...and I served in the Army...and still find it hard to make ends meet as a single mother. On top of it, our government taxes my little paycheck to extreme, making even more difficult. This certainly helps. And I will do it again. And I've shared it with my family who are going to try it too...every little bit helps.
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 \| 05:37 PM Amazing, isn't it, how the thread is quiet for a week or so, then we suddenly get postings from new people claiming to have made loads of money with this ILLEGAL scam? Anyone else smell manure?
jetter	Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 \| 12:15 AM Well whoop dee doo, Ive been foolish before and no doubt I will again at some point in my life. I send send a dollar each to six people, bought stamps and envelopes, made copies and send out the letters. Ive wasted that much on plenty of garbage in my life, and kept that in mind. If I only make back what I spent then no loss. If I make nothing so what? Im willing to try something new and be a fool. There are genuine points to the scheme. If everyone really did do it everyone would stand to make money. But many wont even other. I'll let you know how it goes for me. Another thing to note: Ive worked in journalism and media as a researcher for 15 years, and anytime a story is printed or aired, it has to be verified. I doubt Oprah or any other show will waste time and money reporting a tall tale without checking it out with fact checkers and researchers. No network or publication wants to be sued. There are thorough protocols to follow for journalistic integrity. And since the story was not an expose on a scam, that in itself is worth noting. How many people who've posted here actually tried it? Dreams, make us a little silly. Cheers!
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 \| 01:52 AM jetter said: "Another thing to note: Ive worked in journalism and media as a researcher for 15 years, and anytime a story is printed or aired, it has to be verified. I doubt Oprah or any other show will waste time and money reporting a tall tale without checking it out with fact checkers and researchers." If you weren't lying about working as a journalist and researcher, you'd have to be the piss-poorest one ever. As has been explained in this thread more than once, Oprah has NEVER done a show about chain letters. I'll repeat that for you, Mr. Non-fact Checker: OPRAH HAS NEVER DONE A SHOW ABOUT CHAIN LETTERS. As any REAL fact checker would, you could have found that out for yourself with a simple search of Google or Lexis-Nexis. OR you could have called Harpo Productions, Oprah's company in Chicago. Since you aren't a real journalist or fact checker, though, you didn't bother with any of those. You could also have easily determined for yourself that chain letters are an illegal scam which don't work as claimed. There are many books in public libraries about cons and scams which would give you the facts. You are neither a journalist nor a fact checker. What you ARE is a person who has some reason for wanting to push the continuing scam known as a "chain letter." Go ahead, prove me wrong. Tell us all who you work for as a "journalist" and "fact checker." You have nothing to hide, right?
Christie	Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 \| 01:24 PM I have been reading these comments on the people helping people subject. I thought it would work only because we can or need to help each other. I did the mailing and it's 3months next week and I have not received any $$. I didn't put my return address on the envelopes. One says too and one doesn't-was that why? Great for those who have gotten some help in the $$ area!
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 \| 01:47 PM #1DIVA said: "And parking on a street for 3 hours in two hour parking is wrong but yet WE HAVE ALL DONE IT BEFORE...and probably will again." What an idiotic comparison. Parking in a restricted space isn't a Federal crime, unlike running a scam via the U.S. mail system. "I've read all your postings...and you need to "get a life" and quit trying to save people." Not that I see myself "trying to save people," but it's absurd that you would see that as a bad thing. "Oh..I don't think this is even illegal. Blah blah blah about the links to the postal codes regarding chain letters. This doesn't resemble a chain letter. It doesn't say "send to 200 people or you will die" or any such nonsense. It says that if you want a chance to get $$ this is what you gotta do...yada yada.." Translation: "I know full well that it's illegal but I want to do it anyway, so screw the facts." What in your brain tells you that to be illegal, a chain letter has to say something like "send to 200 people or you will die"? Since you claim to have read the relevant section of the U.S. Postal Service's website, please explain what in it gave you that impression. "If you want to make $$ on it and you pay the damn thieving IRS than there is no crime committed." Wrong! Even if that was true, how, exactly, would you explain your windfall to the I.R.S.? Where would you say it came from? "I am not robbing ANYONE of their money." Keep telling yourself that. It won't make it true, of course, but I guess it will help you sleep at night.
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 \| 01:50 PM Christie said: "I did the mailing and it's 3months next week and I have not received any $$. I didn't put my return address on the envelopes. One says too and one doesn't-was that why?" I'm curious, Christie. Without your address on the envelopes, how did you think your theoretical windfall was going to find its way to you? I guess if people can believe in Magical Multiplying Money, they can believe in money that psychically knows where to go.
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 \| 05:47 PM I guess you missed this relevant point, Diva: "After thorough consideration of the matter, I have concluded that the application of 18 U.S.C.
Emetophile	Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 \| 01:02 AM Diva... the laws that generally mangle, shred, and end chain letter promotors in a life-shattering KABOOM are 39 USC 3005, 18 USC 1956, and 18 USC 1941 through 18 USC 1943, along with assorted lesser legislation from individual states - such as the Michigan law cited by the attorney general in http://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,1607,7-164-34739_20942-201450--,00.html And seeing you're in Alva... that's Oklahoma, right? Have your own state's brand of nightmare to shiver and quake in the darkness over: Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act Oklahoma Promotional Pyramid Scheme Act http://law.justia.com/oklahoma/codes/os21.html
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 \| 02:02 PM #1DIVA said: "IF you THINK this is illegal, and a Federal crime, then I will let you know if we get arrested by the POSTAL POLICE." There's no "thinking" involved here. It's a FACT that chain letters are illegal and have been for decades. You quoted a long section of a court ruling in an attempt to prove otherwise; unfortunately, you had no idea what it actually said. You seem to have abandoned that silliness now that it's been completely refuted. "I have read the thread, and I don't care...you keep repeating and repeating and it is only your words." Either you're lying about having read the thread or your literacy skills are lacking. The exact section of the U.S. Postal Service's website which explains why chain letters are illegal has been quoted SEVERAL TIMES in this thread. You aren't the first person who has tried to claim that it's just my "opinion" that chain letters are illegal. You probably won't be the last. You are, however, completely, provably, wrong. "There is only 1 person to claim to have gotten backlash on this and for all I know it was CMG posting as someone else." More proof that you have NOT read the thread. Also on more than one occasion, links have been given to stories about cases where people have been prosecuted for involvement in chain letters. "(I don't work for the post office...but my title is Postal Specialist with the company I am with...and I have a 'relationship' with the government because of my job." Oh, really? Does that "relationship" allow you to break the law? "I'm not dumb about it. I was told: The post offices are raising rates and cost of stamps because of not enough people sending out mailings anymore, due to everyone paying bills over phone and internet now. This is a 'boon' for the post office." You ARE dumb about it. Chain letters are ILLEGAL because they scam the vast majority of participants. The Post Office has raised the price of postage because of rising costs and the declining economy. That has NOT affected the Postal Service's Inspection Division at all. No, the odds on you getting arrested by them are not high, but keep in mind that if you DO, their conviction rate is the highest of all Federal law enforcement operations. Whether or not you get caught, you're still participating in an ILLEGAL scam and any money you might make just comes from other suckers who lost theirs. I realized you've managed to rationalize your actions and don't care about that, but you should at least be honest with yourself about what you're doing. Oh, that's right, I forgot; you have a special relationship with the government, so you're allowed to rip people off. Thanks for the laugh.
Christie	Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 \| 02:38 PM Okay cranky-my address is on the list of six names to send a dollar to on one of the 5 pages! I didn't put it on the evelope as well. I was wondering if that made a difference at all. I know the $$ doesn't know where to go like magic as you say
Emetophile	Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 \| 04:00 PM Florida? That's even nastier! I love Florida's laws against chain letters and gifting, they are SOOOO twisted and evil :> Try this discussion: http://www.vnn.org/editorials/ET0008/ET15-6156.html Or this arrest: http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/press/2005/12092005.html Or this, from the Attornet General of Florida: http://myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/main/f1533bdbdff08c4185256cc9005a8e14!OpenDocument Or this news article in the Ludington Times: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=110&dat=19960221&id=sMALAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sVUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4049,3947549 And I see that Alva, Florida has less than 3000 people. How many "Postal Specialists" can there be in such a small town? You just painted a bullseye on your own face, Diva.
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 \| 05:12 PM But, Emetophile, Diva has a "special relationship" with the government. Come on, that can ONLY mean that she is immune from that pesky "federal and state law" stuff. Hey, Diva, is you truly and honestly believe that chain letters are perfectly legal, why don't you go to your bosses and ask if you can recruit your fellow employees into yours? I'm SURE they'll have NO problem with their "Postal Specialist" trying to help them make some extra, completely legal, money.
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 \| 05:14 PM Hey, Emetophile, just so you know, the page the Attorney General link goes to seems to have been removed.
ed	Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 \| 04:53 PM You khow , for all the advice that you self proclaimed experts on this subject have, have even one of you people tried it? If you care so much about giving advice, and think you are so accurate about this being a scam, why don't you do an expirement and let us all know what you find out! you seem to have a hundred dolar opinion on this subject, why don't you take that money and buy some stamps and a mailing list, and get back to us in 3 months OK .Untill then I'll keep pulling my envelopes out of the mailbox. se you at the bank!
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 \| 05:19 PM ed said: "You khow , for all the advice that you self proclaimed experts on this subject have, have even one of you people tried it?" OK, so you're saying that chain letters work, right? Well, let's see--what do you mean by "work?" If I walked into a bank with a mask on, pulled out a gun and made the tellers put all the money in their drawers into a sack, then ran out the door, I guess I could claim that bank robbery "worked" for me. The question is where did the money I "made" come from? Obviously, it came from the bank and from other depositors, none of whom would say that the robbery worked from THEIR point of view. The same is true for chain letters. The few people who come out ahead are doing so at the expense of the many who lose everything they put in. I wouldn't say that constitutes a "win." You defenders of chain letters keep trying to make it sound as if the illegality of chain letters and the impossible math behind the claims made for them is just a matter of opinion. I realize that those of you who desperately want to believe in this decades-old scam aren't interested in any actual FACTS but the exact part of the U.S. Postal Service's website which explains why chain letters are ILLEGAL and DON'T WORK has been pasted into this thread several times now. It doesn't really matter whether or not you believe ME or the other people who have carefully and patiently explained the reality behind chain letters in this thread, but you really ought to be able to comprehend what the Postal Service says about them. I've also pointed out that any decent-sized library will have books about scams and frauds, many of which contain chapters or sections about chain letters. Sorry to burst your bubble, but they were not put on the shelves of libraries all across the country to deceive you for some inscrutable reason. If I can put on my Magical Psychic Hat for a moment, I predict that the next thing ed says is that not everyone wins the lottery either, so that somehow justifies chain letters. That "logic" has been refuted several times already, but since ed won't bother to read the earlier parts of this thread, he'll think he's come up with something unique.
jacksmom	Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 \| 03:16 AM I recieved this letter this week. I got online to do some research and found this forum. I have to say I think this is a BS site because EVERY page out of 76 that I read (and it was the majority) I had to filter through multiple posts of the same thing over and over by Cranky Media Guy. Start a blog, once you put your thought out on a site made to give information, nobody cares what you have to say the next 700 times you respond. Especially if every response is the same as the last. Get over yourself Cranky. You must be a very sad, lonely person to spend so many years of your life arguing with people over a single issue. Good luck with that. I hope your future is brighter than what your past has looked like to the rest of us.
Cranky Media Guy Member	Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 \| 01:57 AM jacksmon said: "I think this is a BS site because EVERY page out of 76 that I read (and it was the majority) I had to filter through multiple posts of the same thing over and over by Cranky Media Guy." If you REALLY read the whole thread, then you've seen where I've explained why I repeat myself. This is NOT a work of literature where it would be bad form to tell the reader over and over that the main character is left-handed, say. Most people can't or won't read the whole thread and people like you keep showing up randomly, saying the same false things about chain letters. I don't think those claims should go unchallenged, so I give the actual FACTS whenever it seems necessary to do so. You are, of course, free to ignore reality and believe in Magic Money Which Comes From Nowhere. "Get over yourself Cranky. You must be a very sad, lonely person to spend so many years of your life arguing with people over a single issue. Good luck with that. I hope your future is brighter than what your past has looked like to the rest of us." Again, if you've actually read the whole thread, you've seen that you are hardly the first person to resort to ad hominem attack when you had no rational way to defend chain letters. You aren't the first and I'm sure you won't be the last. I'm just curious as to why you think I would care what a person I don't know and will almost certainly never meet thinks about me. Now, if you have anything original to say about chain letters, the actual topic of this thread, I'm sure we'd all be interested in reading it.
Chris	Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 \| 04:12 PM Wow these posts go all the way back to 2004. I just received mine today. I am searching for this 20/20 special or oprah that speaks of the legitimacy. We are in 2009 and I just got mine, is it still going strong?
Page 25 of 30 pages ‹ First < 23 24 25 26 27 > Last ›

Note: This thread is located in the Old Forum of the Museum of Hoaxes.