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

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DJ Brakel	Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 \| 03:25 PM There are a lot of good points in this thread. Both from the usual skeptics and the open minded people. I know that this idea would work if everyone would follow the same set of rules. Unfortunatly, there are dishonest people out there that intentionally take advantage of others. If there was a way to contact only the people that truly believe this would work, and they would do the same thing as they expect from others, everyone involved would come out a winner. I don't believe that there are get rich overnight things that work without some sort of risk, but isn't business also a risk? Some people say that the numbers don't work out, however people are born and die everyday. The money never is "lost" but is redirected and shifts from one side to the other. It is the amount of "time" that it takes for people to see results that makes them frustrated and doubtful. If you know the "risk" compared to the possible "gain", then nobody can take advantage of you. People gamble, buy lottery tickets, and bet everyday, and know the risk. By knowing the risk makes you take responsibility for your own actions. It is my belief that deception comes from not disclosing all "risk". By doing this you are tricking someone into doing something they normally would not do. If you trick someone into giving you money, you are basicly stealing.
Cranky Media Guy	Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 \| 06:34 PM DJ, you are making the same mistake a lot of other chain letter supporters have made by not reading more of this thread. If you had, you would have seen, spelled out very carefully and repeatedly, exactly why chain letters CANNOT and DO NOT work as they are claimed to. The comparison to a lottery is specious. Yes, DJ, we all know that the odds of hitting it big with the lottery are pretty low. The odds are disclosed publicly as are the names of the winners (in Oregon, for example, by law, a lottery winner cannot remain anonymous.) Can you tell me where I can find a list of people who have collected a large sum of money via a chain letter? Things do not magically work simply because people believe they do. Simple arithmetic proves that chain letters CANNOT work as they are claimed to. Please take some time to go back into this thread and read the explanations of why this is so.
The Plump Dormouse	Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 \| 12:06 AM DJ... sending lottery materials through the mails is illegal. Adding a product doesn't change that, and dishonesty isn't the reason that it is illegal. 39 USC 3005 is the law prohibiting it.
DJ Brakel	Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 \| 08:39 AM Cranky and Plump, Not trying to convince. Just giving an opinion. Plus, I have been in illegal pyramids years ago and have made out like a bandit so unless you have tried, do not doubt. Yes, most of the time you lose, but your odds are better than the lottery. And I never said anything about sending lottery materials through the mail. Once again, just giving my opinion, I didn't know that wasn't allowed.
hmmmmm	Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 \| 08:05 PM i can see how it can be illegal but if they send you a dollar and asking for your service to be put on a mailing lists then where is the harm. after all you sent them the info and if they respond and ask for your service. then you compile the list and keep it for records or sell it to advertising company or some kind of job seeking publication company. then those people who sent you the dollar are the ones looking for junk mail if they asked to be put on your mailing lists for something? also it can just be people helping people sending 1 dollar and dont care if you create one or what you do with it once you get a hold of their name lol.
Cranky Media Guy	Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 \| 01:20 AM hmmmmm said: "i can see how it can be illegal but if they send you a dollar and asking for your service to be put on a mailing lists then where is the harm." Keep in mind that I am not a lawyer but the simple answer is that it's illegal because the law doesn't believe that it's anything other than a scam. Calling it a mailing list does not make it so in the eyes of the law if it is determined that the REAL purpose is to run an illegal operation. I'll say it again. If you take the time to read the earlier part of this thread, you'll see that many of the misconceptions you have about chain letters and the bogus stories you think can be told to make them legal are addressed. The idea of calling a chain letter a "mailing list" is nothing new. It goes back decades.
?	Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 \| 04:35 PM i read a lot of them but this one seems different cause your name stays at the bottom and then gets canceled out so it is different than a pyramid scheme where your name stays at the top and never moves. i mean if you wanted to start a mail order business you would want to mail out information asking people if they want their name put on your mailing lists for job seeking opportunities. they give you a dollar and it is a service being offered. it can also be considered a scam and a easy way to make money but as long as their is a service being offered it can be talked about and i find it odd that people who have tried and made money has not been hunt down by irs or post office cause we would hear about it cause this letter has been around.
The Plump Dormouse	Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 \| 10:58 PM Dear ?, I can't make head or tail of your post. What you call a pyramid scheme is nothing like the real thing. A chain letter is indeed a form of pyramid scheme under the actual definition of the term (which, by the way, has nothing to do with having a pyramid shape). And yes, people who try this letter do get in deep trouble with the law and the post office. Please refer to the links that That Darn Blister provided on or around page 40 of this thread. Also see the Wikipedia article "Make Money Fast."
DJ Brakel	Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 \| 11:39 AM ?, and anyone else that is intrigued about this topic. There is a legal way to participate in programs like this. You need to do your homework and follow the rules very closly of each individual company because they have already been approved as a business, not a scam. It can be almost any product or service from soap to vitamins to selling convention tickets, etc. It is very important to follow their guidelines so you are not breaking the law. I would name these companies however I do not want to give them free advertisement. If you want more information, send me an email. PS, be very careful of what you state on this post because their are "others" that will take your opinion as though you are trying to start a scam.
Rhonda	Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 \| 06:17 AM DJ Brakel, do your initials stand for Dewey Jay?
DJ Brakel	Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 \| 07:39 AM Rhonda, This is kind of off topic. Email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
?	Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 \| 04:49 PM dj i was just wondering if you are making money doing what you say cause i saw this letter and am also looking into the so called mail order business and seeing what the scheme behind this letter is.
DJ Brakel	Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 \| 07:47 PM ?, I have never participated in illegal chain letters. Only MLMs and yes I have made money on these MLMs. A MLM is very similar to pyramid schemes and that is what seems to attract a lot of people including myself. I got into the MLMs after participating in an illegal pyramid scheme that I did not know was illegal at that time and yes, I did make money. If this is something that you want more information about, I would gladly send it to you. No I am not going to ask you for money because I am no longer a distributor for any of these companies and yes it will cost you money, time and persistance if you decide to participate in these MLMs.
Cranky Media Guy	Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 \| 04:12 AM DJ Brakel said: "I got into the MLMs after participating in an illegal pyramid scheme that I did not know was illegal at that time and yes, I did make money. If this is something that you want more information about, I would gladly send it to you." Hard to tell from your syntax whether you're referring to sending people information about the illegal pyramid scheme or the MLM's.
DJ Brakel	Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 \| 07:42 AM Sorry Cranky, Now that I read the post again, you are right. I would send the information about MLMs because I do not know how to send it via email, I don't have a scanner. If people wanted to know about my experience other than MLMs, I would tell them but that does not require a mailing address.
Gloria	Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 \| 11:12 AM I received the same letter from a Raymond Stefanelli of San Marcos, CA in my mail on July 5, 2011. Although the reired attorned who wrote this says it is legal, I am skeptical and believe this to be a hoax to get people to buy a $50 list and mail out 200 copies of the sttorney's 3-page letter with first class stamps. The letter asks that the recipient send $1.00 to each of the 6 names listed on the 3rd page of the letter. Total cost to anyone who indulges in this crap is $144. I tried checking out the 6 names on the 3rd page and don't come up with legitimate people at the addresses given. Why hasn't this thief been brought to justice yet? Thanks.
Friend in Florida	Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 \| 03:20 PM Okay, so I received the letter today as well, but I always do my homework and first hit on google was this.... http://abcnews.go.com/Business/PersonalBest/story?id=4193094&page=1 So, there is information out there for people who want to find it. Didn't your mothers teach you that if anything sounds to good to be true, it usually is. That doesn't mean you can't believe in something and make it worth checking out, but just like losing weight where there is no miracle pill, there is no easy fix to those of us who are suffering financially. Not putting anyone down or trying to stir anyone up, just wanted to put in a little common sense. Wish for all of us, it worked and/or wasn't illegal, but it is. So, save your money that you wanted to spend on the postage stamps, printer paper, envelopes, etc. and look on the bright side, you saved yourself from spending that money and can now use it for something else that you thought you weren't able to pay. Just saying....
kiwiz99 Member	Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 \| 08:44 PM Ok guys SO I am very glad I checked into this cause as many of you I was skeptical. We all like to think that something like this exists and that all our troubles will be gone. my husband and I have been talking about this for a couple of weeks and I was actually online looking for the mailing lists and thought to myself I should try to check this out. I figured it was a "scam" but kept telling myself if I even made a 1000 bucks it would be worth the investment and time put into it, I never even thought about the legality of it all.But since we are all on here for the obvious reason of wanting to make money (and I would love to do so from home) my question is, Is there actually LEGIT businesses i can do that i dont have to worry about all this! I do daycare now but with my "baby" going to school in the fall i'd like to find something with flexability so I can be with her for school funtions and so on your regular 9-5 jobs do not allow for this, is there any input here or am I just dreaming?
Dreezo441 Member	Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 \| 08:33 AM BRAKEL, DEWEY JAY arrested:08/13/11 at 23:17 Arresting Agency: LOCHBUIE PD CO0622000 Booking Number: 1109111 DOB: 12/24/66 Gender: Male Custody Status Arrested for: DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE / DRIVING UNDER THE IN Bail: $0.00 Arrested for: RESISTED ARREST / RESISTED ARREST Bail: $0.00 Arrested for: NO PROOF OF INSURANCE / NO PROOF OF INSURANC Bail: $0.00 Arrested for: HIT AND RUN FAILED TO NOTIFY POLICE / HIT AND RUN FAILED T Bail: $0.00 Yeah I trust you DJ....
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Note: This thread is located in the Old Forum of the Museum of Hoaxes.