The Museum of Hoaxes
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 9 of 30 pages ‹ First  < 7 8 9 10 11 >  Last ›
Greg
Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 | 05:45 AM
Yeah Man....What kind of idiot would open envelopes for 8 months (plus two weeks for deposit time) for only 800,000 dollars.
Thats only 100,000 a month.

DUH
J.A.
Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 | 02:07 PM
nick24lon in louisiana:

Thanks for the confession. Don't be surprised if one of us trace your IP address and you get a knock on your door. It is a federal offense and I hope you get caught. You will go to jail, there will not be a warning. You can't play dumb.

Like I said before, it is people like you that make this world wrong. People who are greedy and take from others. I hope you get what's coming to you.
Cranky Media Guy
Member
Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 | 01:52 AM
Gee, Greg, you seem to have totally missed the point of the post which was that, while not impossible, it is VERY improbably that a person could physically open all those envelopes.

Of course, since chain letters only work for the person who starts one, this won't be a problem for the participants.
Greg
Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 | 06:29 AM
Blanky ....Not only is it not impossible, it isn't even improbable. We're talking about getting 800,000 dollars just by opening envelopes. If it takes four years it's well worth it.
Man....I haven't been on here for a while and I thought maybe some "Smarts" soaked into your skull. But I was wrong.
When you say physically a person couldn't open the envelopes, what do you mean?
Please if your going to stick to the illegal part and the "It Won't Work part", thats one thing. But come on now....To impugn ones physical integrity........that's just downright bull-poop.
Cranky Media Guy
Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 | 02:13 PM
I realize how much fun it is to impugn the intellect of those superior to yourself, but you COULD try reading the original posting.

Yes, it would be fun to open envelopes containing money. I guess on your planet, a person has infinite energy and never needs to sleep. On Earth, where the rest of us dwell (and where chain letters are an illegal scam), there are only so many hours in the day. As the post clearly outlines, it just wouldn't be physically possible to open all those envelopes.

Of course, when you believe in silly nonsense like the Magic Money chain letters allegedly produce, trivial matters like PHYSICS don't matter.

By the way, with all those money-filled envelopes just waiting for you, how do you even have the time to spend on juvenile insults? What are you, a Democrat?
Greg
Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 | 08:39 PM
Boom chuga luga luga
Boom chuga luga luga
Boom chuga luga luga
Boom

I always have time for you Stanky

And that's a fact...Jack
TG
Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 | 11:44 PM
I
TG
Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 | 11:58 PM
Here
Cranky Media Guy
Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 | 12:23 AM
So, let me see if I understand you, Greg. Even though you believe in the possibility of acquiring huge amounts of Magic Money via a chain letter (to the point where you think that hundreds of thousands of dollars could be yours for the taking), rather than actually pursuing all that lucre, you prefer to cast juvenile insults at me.

Why, it's almost as if you don't actually believe the nonsense you spew here. I mean, if *I* believed the things you claim to believe, I wouldn't spend one minute on this forum. I wouldn't even have the time to spend here, since I'd be opening money-filled envelopes day and night.

I mean, only a Democrat would waste their time on non-lucrative pursuits like insulting me, right?

A pot of gold is just sitting at the end of the rainbow waiting for you. Go chase that dream, Greg.
Greg
Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 | 07:08 AM
What was the juvenile insult that I "cast" at you?


You never respond directly to anything that I say.
You just come back with the same lame remarks every time.
"No magical way to may money"
"Its illegal to participate"
"Its physically impossible"
"Chain letters can't and don't work"
I really like when you said...Imagine how itchy the wife will be.
Trust me....If your married and receiving money everyday..the wife will be right in there with you opening envelopes.
Maybe your wife would be itchy. But then again, she's probably itchy living with you even without the 800,000 envelopes.
Thats OK send itchy mama to my house...she can help me open my envelopes.
Just think...if we only open 500 envelopes today we only make $500....for one day.
$500 a day isn't a bad second income.
Most strippers don't make that much in a day.
Do you think that opening 500 envelopes in one evening physically impossible???
No it's not but you or me dancing on a table naked is more than likely physically impossible.

It's Strip or Rip. (rip envelopes that is)
Greg
Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 | 07:11 AM
Even more fun.....we rip while our wives strip.
It would make the envelope opening more interesting. Just think of the reward at the end of the night.........
Like giving a dog a bone!!
Tom N
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 | 03:45 PM
Anyone ever think that the originator of the entire scam might just be :
http://www.datalineone.com?
I mean think about it....the money raised by this site could be substantial if everyone in fact participates.
So if 50,625 people use this service....
http://www.datalineone.com stands to make:
$2,278,125.00!!!!!!!!!!
Raymond J.
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 | 03:49 PM
Very true. Whenever presented with any "get rich quick" scheme, all you have to do is "follow the money".
TG
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 | 05:31 PM
Actually, If you follow the numbers out, they get absolutely preposterous - in a hurry. It really just seals the fate of all this nonsense. A lot of people use the argument "well, they could just go to some other mail list service". It doesn't matter. If they got just a 10% fraction of the business that was generated by all the hocus-pocus they would still be awash in cash.
You should see how the USPS makes out! Stay tunned. A more inefficient scam has never been devised. People that still believe in this stuff need to stop sniffing glue.
Cranky Media Guy
Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 | 12:46 AM
As usual, when faced with actual FACTS, Greg attempts to change the parameters of the discussion.

We weren't talking about 500 envelopes a day, we were talking about THOUSANDS of envelopes a day.

NO ONE disputes that one could open 500 envelopes, Greg. That wasn't the discussion, though.

Again, one has to wonder why Greg doesn't just go and make all that E-Z money just sitting out there with his name on it instead of bringing up irrelevancies here. Fascinating to note that he refuses to address that. All that money just waiting to be taken and Greg doesn't seem interested in it. Hmmmmm.

Tom N., you bring up a good point. The dataonline.com people have found a good legal way to profit from people who can't understand simple mathematical realities--sell them the names of OTHER suckers.
Nathan
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 | 07:26 PM
Charybdis answered for me cranky's question about deleting posts that could help would-be chain letter participants. she added she is to lazy to go back and find it, as am I. Thank you!

The true test is to do it and post the results. It would be best for cranky to do it since he doesn't believe it would work. About the legality part if cranky doesn't get caught by the feds, then, as illegal as it may be it is rarely enforced. Proof of this is, not finding any cases where a chain letter sender has been fined, ARRESTED OR CONVICTED of this crime. so crank there would be your proof you are simply speculating yourself. Now I know what you're thinking "it is illegal so I won't do it" well just for the sake of science give it a try. Prove that you can't make any profit and post your results. Call it a scientific study and get a permit so you don't get in trouble when police come to your door.

Your turn to slam me put up or shut up

The worse that could happen is that you PROVE without a doubt that you are right.

best case you pay the neighborhood kids to open a bunch of envelopes for you.

Not just a drive by, I read all 28 pages of posts before posting.
Cranky Media Guy
Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 | 12:58 AM
Wow, what a brilliant idea, Nathan. Yes, why DON'T I commit a felony to see if I'll get caught?

Um, Nathan, it isn't a question of me BELIEVING that chain letters don't work as advertised, it's simple mathematics.

Since you say you've read all of the pages of this thread, then you must have seen where the impossibility of chain letters has been explained--repeatedly.

Yes, they "work" for the person who STARTS one (if by "work" you mean stealing money from other people) but they CANNONT work in the sense that all participants come out ahead. 30 seconds worth of rational thought will reveal that to you.

Putting aside the reality that asking me to break the law is absurd, you're attempting to put me in the position of proving a negative. Ain't gonna happen.

If you think that a chain letter involving a finite number of participants can work, please develop a model that will prove that. If you're a student, ask your math teacher to help you with it. Let us know when he or she stops laughing.
J.A.
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 | 11:24 AM
Nathan wants someone to test this out... why doesn't he test it out himself. Tell me this... how will you file your taxes??

There have been numerous posts with proof that this is illegal. It's just as I stated before, Nathan, Greg and others on here who are "for" chain letters, are only looking out for themselves and don't give a shit about anybody else. I know I wouldn't want people like them in my life.

Either that or maybe Greg is just one of those people who likes to disagree with everything that everyone else has to say. Maybe he's just trying to get a reaction out of everyone. Give up already, anything you say doesn't change facts!
Chris C
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 | 01:32 PM
Well I got the letter yesterday and
Im damn sure gonna try....I spent 13 years locked up and dont mind spending a week or two to find out if this is real....I will find out...I think its gonna turn out to be successful for some and not for others...hope mine works!!!!!!!!!
Chris C
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 | 01:37 PM
Also just to inform you guys...on my letter the mail order contact company is different and the names dont match any of these so i figure this one has been in circulation for a while....I also tried to contact the reposessed vehicle guy and he hung up on me...on my letter his name is Antonio Brown...and his phone number is on the letter as well...the voice mail says Antonio but he wont converse with me at all!!!!
Cranky Media Guy
Member
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 | 01:55 PM
Chris C. said:

"Well I got the letter yesterday and
Im damn sure gonna try....I spent 13 years locked up and dont mind spending a week or two to find out if this is real."

Wow...just wow. You spent 13 years in jail and the thought of getting potentially locked up again doesn't bother you? Wow.

Also, why do you assume that IF you were arrested and convicted of mail fraud (a FEDERAL crime), you would only do a "week or two"?

To be fair, as I've said before, it is by no means definite that you will draw the attention of the postal authorities and/or FBI, but, seriously, is it really worth the risk (especially since you're kind of waving a red flag at them by announcing your intentions here)?

If your previous incarceration(s) was/were for a federal crime, this would be at least "Strike Two" for you. If you haven't heard, three "strikes" means you get life in prison. That would REALLY suck, wouldn't it?

Oh, then there's that whole "chain letters don't work" thing.
Chris C
Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 | 08:19 AM
Well maybe your right but I dont kthink his is an actual chain letter. You see I am going to statrt my own mail out list for people on holidays and such...I think whol lot of people will be interested in bieng on my list seeing as I send out hand crafted Christmas Cards durng he holidays...If you want me to add you to my mailng list then let me know....its only $1.00...and well worth it!
Chris C
Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 | 08:25 AM
Also I dont see any harm in checking it out....I took the letter to the police Dept yesterday and they told me that the letter was not a chain letter but would be considered a solicitation by mail...which is LEGAL!!! I was a little concerned so I asked someone who would really know...the chief..we are good friends now...solicitation of buiseness is legal as long as it is done through the mail..if you solicit by phone without bieng prompted it is illegal...Soliciting through the mail is ok without having been prompted....This letter is NOT a chain letter...it is a solicitation for buiseness done through the mail....Per Chief Wiggam
chris C
Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 | 08:36 AM
White Flag...(waving briskly)

Media Guy..I hate to tell you but youve had it wrong from the beginning..regardless of what your perception may be....this mail solicitation is by no means illegal and if it was do you think this domain is under survellence..I strongly doubt it..Grant it there are some cyber cops out there...I really dont think they give a shit...I mean...we have to be realistic...I dont know if the solicitation works or not but now that I know that the cops are saying its ok-- Im doing it!!!!
I really would like to hear from positive people who are in the maill order buiseness and who are succeeding...Not from Critics who havent got a clue and who havent asked anyone who does...I would love to see how Greg is turning out....Oh yea and If I recieve 800,000.00 then I will be hiring mexicans here in Texas for 3.00 an hour to open envelopes..I figure we can get it done in a week...My cost would be a few hundred bucks but hey, for 500-800 grand...NOW HIRING!!
Chris C
Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 | 10:22 AM
Oh and to clear up one more thing...I will be reporting my earnings from my legal mail order company to the IRS as I know I will have to pay Taxes.....Join My mail order list for a dollar....Christmas and Thanksgiving mailouts only.....Its all Legal!!!!!!!!!!!Damn Skippy it is!
Cranky Media Guy
Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 | 01:39 PM
I'm confused, Chris C. When did the subject of your legal mailing list come into this discussion?

It seems as if you intended to talk about a legal mailing list, which I didn't realize as it seems to have come out of the blue.

In any case, if that's what you were talking about, I apologize for misunderstanding you.

A simple mailing list, not intended as a chain letter, should be legal. Keep in mind that I am not a lawyer, but legitimate mailing lists have been used by businesses legally for ages.
Chris C
Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 | 09:19 AM
Check this out media guy....I am referring to the letter and the mail order buiseness that makes thisa paticular letter legal...You see whether or not you add to or take away names from the list doesnt matter..what would make this letter a chain letter would be if the letter was sent out and requesting that money be sent directly to me with no return of services...What is special about this one is that the letter is to be used as a solicitation for buiseness by mail....that is what makes this one legal...by requesting that any money sent to anyone on the letter be for addition to a mail order list is the key! I spoke with authorities on this and that is what they said...I went to the post office yesterday and spoke with them as well and they said that large amounts of personal mail can and will be checked if deemed suspicious..BUT...they also said that should they open an envelope and a request to be on a mail list accompany the dollar inside that it would then become legal regardless of how many I recieve or who they come from....Whoever concocted this has put a lot of thought into it and have covered every angle of legality..whether it works or not I dont know..but I can tell you this...This particular letter IS NOT A CHAIN LETTER..it is merely a buiseness oppertunity, a way to solicit customers legally for a legal mail order list...If the directions are followed to a T...The Postal service agrees and the Police agree...ONE BIG WARNING-should you recieve money without the senders request to be on your mail list IT BECOMES ILLEGAL...there must be an actual service and it must be requested by the respondant...Furthermore should you recieve the request and the money but not actually put a mail order list into place it also becomes illegal...We must be careful...the line is a thin one but if this is done as it says..it is completely legal.
TG
Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 | 09:32 PM
Everybody is just going around and around here. No wonder nothin ever gets done. Cranky and some others insist that chain letters are illegal. Other folks keep saying "Well, no they're not-if you only include a 'request to be but on a mailing list'...bla bla bla". Still Some folks insist you can make hundereds of thousands of dollars. Others say legal or not, their gona try it out. Others, like me say legal or not, it's a scam and won't and can't work as advertised, which whadayouknow, makes it a scam.

Let's just get some facts down:
1. Title 18 section 1302 US code specifies that any scheme "dependent in whole or in part upon lot or chance" is illegal. Whether or not you sell a "mailing list" or pay to be put on someone elses mailing list is irrelevant in the eyes of 1302. If the PRIMARY purpose or INTENT of the transaction is to propegate a "chain letter or similar scheme" it is illegal. They and I don't care how may mailing lists you "ask" to be put on or "pay for". It is still illegal. What do you think, that the Postmaster General and District Attorney would be idiots -that they wouldn't know what's really going on here?

2. That said, we can safely imagine that the odds of getting charged are very very low.
Now before you salvate over that, also imagine for a moment that your local postmaster recieves all kinds of updates and bulletins from Postal Headquarters warning about all kinds of things like current mail fraud alerts, wanted people, missing children and oh yeah, the latest crazy chain letter scheme going around. Your postmaster does not live in vacuume folks. You don't think he's going to notice if all of a sudden your house at 322 elm street starts getting 5000 letters a week? You should know that though the odds of getting charged may be low, the odds of being convicted if charged are excellent. I read that the Goverment does not loose these types of cases, that they are relatively easy to prosecute. Can you say "Felony baby"

3. But #2 doesn't matter anyway because chain letters don't and won't work the way they SAY there going to work. That is: To deliver big sums of money and "hundreds or thousands of dollars". The resulting mathmatics just won't allow it, illegal or not. Like they say, "It ain't rocket science folks".

4. Proponents of this business should note that this letter and variations of it have been around for years and years. Meaning that the "attorney friend" and the other fellow are long gone and probably never existed in the first place. Speaking of first place. Can anybody here imagine how this sort of thing could actually get started in the real sense anyway? Just think for a minute: How did the "first guy" at the top of the first list get on there in the first place? And how could he have made ANY money? (since if the list was just starting it hadn't gone around)Answer: He didn't because he wasn't. It was all a scam from the get go and anybody that participates in this crap is a scammer and is perpetuating a scam.

5. Somebody said they asked their local police about the legality of these letters. Local police do not enforce federal postal laws per se, and your local police desk sergeant probably knows or cares precious little about such laws.
If a postmaster thinks the chain letter is legal then he's either reading a different letter from the "I am a retired attorney" letter, a trainee, uninformed, temporary, on his way out the door, or ingaged in chain letters or other unscrupulous activity himself.
There.
Cranky Media Guy
Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 | 01:23 AM
I've actually said just about all the things you just said in that posting, TG. You just said them all in one nice, succinct, posting. Thanks for that.

Actually, you beat me here. I was just about explain--yet again--that mailing lists ARE illegal if the INTENT is to operate a chain letter. That point has been made more than once in this thread but people keep thinking they've reinvented the wheel by claiming that THEIR mailing list exploits some imagined loophole.

Make no mistake, folks, if the FBI and/or Postal Inspection Service determine(s) that you are actually operating a chain letter, they absolutely CAN prosecute you. The law (which has been quoted here several times) specifically mentions "mailing lists." In short, they're onto that scam. Keep in mind that using the U.S. Mail automatically elevates things to a federal crime.

We keep quoting the relevant law over and over and some of you persist in thinking you've figured out some way around it. All they have to do is prove in court that your INTENT was to operate a chain letter and they have you where they want you, no matter how cleverly you word your "mailing list."

Remember, the Postal Service has the highest rate of conviction of any Federal law enforcement agency.

Oh and as TG points out, chain letters DON'T WORK as advertised.
TG
Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 | 06:33 PM
Thanks, Cranky.
You and others have fought a long and brave battle here. You point out the obvious, contribute facts and examples, and it just seems to go in one ear and out the other with a lot of people. I don't understand it. I put my two cents in here because these chain letter proponents are apparently continuing to try and suck in all kinds of unsuspecting victims with that "big money" crap when all that is really guaranteed is that 99.7% of the participants will be losers. Worse is the fact that it HAS to be that way! And that nonsense about it being "legal" because of some BS "request to be on your mailing list" is infuriating and a serious lie that could get some otherwise innocent people in trouble. Moreover, the $1 chain letter has got to be the most inefficient scam ever devised. So inefficient in fact, that even our "top-tier
Cranky Media Guy
Member
Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 | 12:24 AM
Yeah, it's a slog, TG. Everything you've said (along with what I and others have said) is, of course, correct. The problem is we're up against human greed. People believe in the power of a chain letter to produce Magic Money because they WANT to believe.

Scams like chain letters tend to resurface during times of economic uncertainty, for obvious reasons.

Hey, I'd love it as much as anyone else if mailing money to other people meant that I would end up hundreds of thousands of dollars ahead, but life just doesn't work like that. As we've asked several times (but have yet to get an answer to), if things DID work like that, why would anyone bother to have a job? We'd all just mail money to each other and magically become millionaires.

Your analogy of the horribly fuel-inefficient car with the tiny gas tank made me laugh, but it's pretty apt.

You're absolutely correct when you say, "It's nothing personal. It's just physics." To those who desperately wish for money to pile up in their mail boxes, however, we just look like nasty wet blankets trying to ruin the Magic Money Party.

As for persevering here, I try to remember that it's like when I was a radio talk show host; you aren't really talking to the caller, you're talking to the audience. I'm not really trying to convince the people who post illogical nonsense here, I'm talking to those who come here to get information about chain letters who may be considering "investing" money they can ill afford to lose into one.

From everything I read and see, I strongly suspect we're in for tough economic times for the foreseeable future. A chain letter, is, unfortunately, NOT the way to help yourself out.
greg
Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 | 10:06 AM
Greed...Magic Money...The Power of the Chain Letter.....and most of all The Stupid Analogies, like the 400 ft per gallon car. You guys are taking this thing way too serious. Come down off your High horses buckos. Like you have never in your life thought about easy money.
The last few entries in this forum have got to be the most boring reading I have ever seen.
I don't come back here much anymore but when I do I still see that you are as thick headed as you were in the beginning. Maybe even more.
Cranky Media Guy
Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 | 04:48 PM
Sorry that reality is so boring to you, Greg. You have my permission to continue living in your fantasy world. Enjoy.

Forgive my saying so, but the rest of us will not miss the absence of fact you brought to the discussion.

Here you go. Take my high horse and ride off into the sunset.
greg
Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 | 05:08 PM
What Fantasy World??
Charybdis
in Hell
 Member
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 | 10:41 AM
You know, contrary to Greg's insistence that he's leaving this forum he still manages to come on just to troll you, Cranky. It must mean he views you as a threat. Isn't that sweet? 😊
Cranky Media Guy
Member
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 | 02:00 PM
Well, he sees that sharp stick in my hand and he's afraid I'll puncture his bubble, Chary.
Greg
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 | 05:48 PM
You Guys Missed Me. Thats why you make remarks about me when I disappear for a few days...
And trust me, I'm too old to feel threatened by anyone.
Besides that, I have no bubble to puncture.
Believe it or not, I don't sit around dreaming about Magic Money.
I work hard for a living. I'm not the kind of guy that wants a free ride, although it would be cool to get my Money for Nothing and my Chicks for free.
Another thing. I didn't see a sharp stick in anyones hand. Could you please explain that stupid remark.
In fact, I see no sharpness at all coming from your input.
Chary and Skanky....are you sleeping together?
I haven't checked all entries, but it looks like you two are the only members.
Yes you both are "Members".
greg
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 | 05:51 PM
Sorry...back at the beginning there we a few other Members. They haven't been back though.

It's obvious you two are the only real Members..
lrjet
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 | 06:04 PM
Law of attrection....It's all in your mind. What you think about you creat. If it fails for you then it failed in your mind first. You knew it was going to fail and it did. I knew it would work and I have boat loads of envelopes coming in daily. It just all depends on the picture you hold in your mind. watch The Secret. I believed that the letter would go to people that were positive and it did. And in case people don't realize it....You only think about what you want. If you want $800.000.00 then see it in your mind, hold the picture, expect it, and be HAPPY and thankful and you will get it.
sane person
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 | 08:38 PM
Very interesting last post, as the whole idea behind the secret is kind of the same as a chain letter. I'll sum it up for you. Come up with a ridiculous idea that can never work. Get a few quacks to say it worked for them and now they are rich and send it to the masses, although the secret went one step further and marketed it to the moronic masses rather than sending it in the form of a chain letter. Which makes their scam legit.
I am going to let you folks all in on a little get rich quick secret. (For any of you who sat through that piece of trash called the secret and bothered doing any research afterwards). Self help, and financial advice books, regardless of if you have any clue what you are talking about, thats how to make the big bucks.
Now I've just got to come up with a title. "Chain letters for the soul" now that sounds pretty catchy.
BTW lrjet, let me know how the chain letter, teamed up with the unstoppable "law of attraction",(notice correct spelling) works out for you.......
Cranky Media Guy
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 | 01:59 AM
Lrjet, I doubt you realize this, but by agreeing with the "Law of Attraction," you are proposing a physical force, like gravity or inertia, which science is unaware of.

How exactly would this work? Can I wish for a glass of water to appear in front of me and it will just manifest itself? If not, why not? I want a glass of water and I'm sincerely wishing for it, so why can't it just appear?

"I knew it would work and I have boat loads of envelopes coming in daily. It just all depends on the picture you hold in your mind."

Sorry, I don't believe you (assuming you're talking about envelopes full of money--junk mail doesn't count). Prove it.

"If you want $800.000.00 then see it in your mind, hold the picture, expect it, and be HAPPY and thankful and you will get it."

So, uh, how do lotteries still exist? After all, The Secret was a best selling book, right? There must be thousands or even millions of people buying lottery tickets and wishing to win, using the power of The Secret. Most weeks, there is no winner for the Powerball. Why aren't there hundreds of people with the winning numbers every week? It's theoretically possible, after all, even without The Secret.

So, where is there ANY proof whatsoever that the nonsense in The Secret is real?
nicole wynell
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 | 02:21 AM
Hi this is nicole again and I did call and speak with someone the number 2 on my list by tracking the name and address with the yellow pages... Anyway I am still receiving responses and I beleive it's because I believe in what I'm doing and to tell you the truth if you don't believe in what it is you 'do' then absolutely do not do it! because for you it wont work.I'm sending out more letters, so look for my name on the list!
nicole wynell
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 | 02:30 AM
in short the secret works... it's background is biblical scripture. The universe is actually the kingdom of God in translation it means God's way of doing things... his way is always right if you get in him your eyes will be opened. i only agree with the parts in the book of the secret that atually line up with the bible all else to me means nothing. try this...when life is at it's worse for you when you feel like giving up in an impossible situation at that very point speak the exact opposite of what you are feeling, though it may be hard at first..do it anyway and watch what happens. I guarantee you will have a testimonial of how things turned around.
Cranky Media Guy
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 | 01:44 PM
Absolute nonsense, Nicole. By defending The Secret, whether or not you realize it, you are proposing a physical force in the universe, like gravity. That's what it would take for the mind to be able to "manifest" things. To the best knowledge of physicists and other scientists who actually study such things, no such physical force actually exists.

I've asked questions in the past, which those of you who defend The Secret nonsense choose not to reply to. How can lotteries exist if The Secret works? Wouldn't there be hundreds, if not thousands, of people every week splitting the big prize every week by simply wishing to win? For that matter, why haven't YOU won the lottery? It must have occurred to you to make that happen.

I don't question the sincerity of your belief in The Secret. Unfortunately, sincere belief does NOT make it possible to violate the laws of physics.
Jamie
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 | 07:03 PM
I am merely posting this for information purposes. This is the chain letter and what NC law has to say.

North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services

Chain Letter Scam
Task Force member Jane Jones of the Cape Fear Council of Governments recently forwarded a chain letter that is making the rounds, together with the fine suggestion that it be made the subject of an Alert. The text of the chain letter is posted below, with certain identifying information deleted.

Chain letters are one of the oldest and purest forms of pyramid schemes. You pay participants who got into the scheme before you and then try to recoup your investment and make a profit through the recruitment of other participants after you. Such schemes are illegal under both state and federal law.

They also happen to be a bad idea. First, as a pyramid scheme, the program is bound to die out. People who are just getting into the scheme when this happens lose the monies they invested to get in. It is a gamble, and that is one reason the law prohibiting chain and pyramid schemes is found in the gambling section of the North Carolina Criminal Code.

Chain letters are a bad idea for another reason. Most people who participate in them do not declare their earnings for tax purposes. Nevertheless, their participation in the scheme is easy to spot due to the fact that they have put their names and addresses on hundreds of mailings which are circulating around the country and, in some cases, finding their way to government agencies. The resulting audits, taxes and penalties can easily wipe out the fun and the profit of participating in the scheme.

As you read the chain letter reprinted below, note the concerted effort to convince readers the scheme is legal. The "attorney" says that providing a service (putting someone on a supposed mailing list) makes the scheme legal. This is not necessarily so. North Carolina's pyramid and chain scheme statute, NC Gen. Stat. Sect. 14-291.2, states that providing a service or product is immaterial if the main purpose of the scheme is getting participants to pay money so they can make money through the recruitment of other participants.

TEXT OF LETTER

GET OUT OF DEBT FAST!
This program is completely legal
Refer to Title 18, Sections 1302 & 1342 US Postal Service and Lottery Laws

Dear Friend,

Greetings! I hope that you will take this opportunity to earn money instead of throwing money away on lottery tickets.

I am a retired attorney, and about two years ago a man came to me with a letter. It was basically the same letter you have in your hands. He asked me to verify that this letter was legal to do. I told him I would review it and get back to him. When I first read it, I thought it was some off-the-wall idea to make money. A week and a half later, we met to discuss the issue. I told him the letter he originally brought me was not 100% legal. I advised him to make a small change and it would be all right......

http://www.ncdhhs.gov/aging/fraud/alert5.htm

Check it out for yourself.
TG
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 | 08:24 PM
What
Cranky Media Guy
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 | 11:55 PM
The difference between Dale Carnegie, Napoleon Hill and The Secret is that those old guys weren't claiming that merely thinking about something made it automatically happen.

They said that your attitude affected your own behavior, which is pretty difficult to argue with. The Secret, on the other hand, claims that things will physically manifest themselves for you IF YOU JUST WANT THEM TO.

I keep asking (but never get an answer) how lotteries could possibly operate in a world like that.

Here's your answer: they couldn't if things could just magically happen. That isn't the world we live in, though, which explains why the Powerball jackpot rolls over most weeks.
Cranky Media Guy
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 | 11:56 PM
Belief in nonsense like The Secret is the same kind of thinking that keeps chain letters going, by the way. Talking about The Secret may be technically off-topic but it IS relevant.
TG
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 | 11:26 AM
I don
Dixie of the south
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 | 09:25 AM
I am making real good money with my mailing list.....started out at 16-23 envelopes per day and now am riecieving 670-720 a day..and its no Secret..hahaha
Greg
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 | 09:30 AM
Dixie...Are you being serious or just busting chops?

BE HONEST !!!!!!!

I still haven't tried...but I really want to give it a shot.
Dixie of the South
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 | 09:38 AM
just bullshittin ya greg but I want to try it too and I cant find any real success stories so I figured I would post my own...
Dixie of the South
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 | 09:41 AM
I know that there has to be someone doing well with it but this forum is monitored bigtime by skanky and some other "members"..Im sure they delete all the success stories..I wanted to see so I posted one...
Dixie of the South
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 | 09:44 AM
Well Greg...Have you any good info or have you read anything anywhere else??? I am just like you...waiting for some concrete..
Cranky Media Guy
Member
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 | 02:01 PM
Dixie said:

"I know that there has to be someone doing well with it but this forum is monitored bigtime by skanky and some other "members"..Im sure they delete all the success stories..I wanted to see so I posted one..."

Uh, sorry, I don't "monitor" this site and I have NO ability to delete anything at all. I'm just a visitor here, same as you.

You guys really DO live on the Planet of No Facts, don't you? You can't find a real success story, so you make one up.

"Well Greg...Have you any good info or have you read anything anywhere else??? I am just like you...waiting for some concrete.."

No problem, Dixie. Greg can just make up some stories for you. Apparently, fantasy and reality are the same thing to you, anyway.

If there were all these Amazing Success Stories of people making thousands and thousands of dollars via the magic of chain letters, you wouldn't have to hunt for them; they'd be all over the media.

Keep chasing unicorns and following rainbows, Dixie. Leave the real world to the grownups.
MARY
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 | 05:03 AM
HOLY S@%$#!!!
This is so immature....go wash your dog or something. Bottom line GET A FREAKEN LIFE!!!!
Charybdis
in Hell
 Member
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 | 08:12 AM
Yes, we get rid of all the people who might 'prove' us wrong. I guess that explains why Greg hasn't been around insulting and flaming us. :roll:
Greg
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 | 09:44 AM
Greg Is Always Around
Cranky Media Guy
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 | 02:08 PM
Yes, it's like the old Soviet Union where they used to edit out-of-favor people out of old photos around here.

Don't anger Mr. Airbrush!
Dixie of The South
Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 | 08:53 AM
Why would you treat me that way??you dont know me...I know this site is monitored...I guess your fantasy world is this forum....at least your SOMEBODY...in here....at home your covered in chip crumbs with eyes black from the computer...living in stench and filth of your own existance....you know its true.
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