Wowee! – $30.000.00 all yours.It says so right before your eyes, in black and white.
And is reiterated a bit further down YOU HAVE DEFINTELY WON.
BUT sorry friends it’s all a RED herring, and one that is past its USE BY DATE.
We have been researching these scams now for more than two years and we have yet to come across one that is bona fide in other words for real. Yes! It has cost me some money to get the facts– for unless you have ordered something or paid over the handling or post fee, you get nothing. Believe you me even when you do, you still get the handsome sum of zilch!
Here are some of the facts: Its states YOU HAVE WON, yes Mr/Mrs/M/s Miss you are a confirmed winner- hold it- read further – you have won an ENTRY ONLY into the competition and further more if you do win they do not have to pay out for over a year. When you read the fine print (and there is plenty of it) on the back of any enclosed slip you will see- payment will be made BY the 31 December of that or the following year. This is of course hoping you:
(a) Have forgotten all about the competition and your maybe winnings
(b) Have not sent it back in time (more of that later)
(c) Haven't filled out the necessary details (they already have your name and address. That’s all they need to forward your cheque.) WARNING do not send your Bank account Number for quick transfer of funds to your account. The only funds that may get transferred are yours into their accounts!
(d) Haven’t purchased the wonderful cure-alls for any ailment you have
(e) Don’t believe it when they say you do not have to purchase any goods – your entry will go into that special filing unit – under your writing desk!
(f) They will not be responsible for: loss of order, theft or incorrect distribution of mail. See how many other outs they have?
Those are just a small smidgen of them.
Okay, so you reply within the 7 day response period. Huh! You’re out, right there and then. You see they have sent what you have received to a posting distributor . In 99% of cases a firm in Auckland called CHELL, – address- just the box number, on the top left hand of the envelope addressed to you,followed by Auckland. No suburb or any other information. You can’t find them on the Internet either! Okay so you will write to the people running the competition – no you will not! None of the information enclosed with your great news, has any address of any kind on it, bar for the one on the return envelope. Oh, it has fancy logos and great wording, wonderful copies of seals, words like Verified and Confirmed. The only thing it confirms, I’m sorry to say, is that you are( please forgive me) a fool for sending any order or money.
Now back to the 7 day response – They send the information to Chell who post it out; that could take 2-3days coming from Netherlands or where ever, because they would send a HUGE packet of mail to be distributed to the winners. I have received these with two other winners notifications which have got attached to my letter all stating the same word for word!
So Chell post it out to you – they may have had it for say 2days – that makes 4 days, then you have to send it back- You think you have 7days to reply so don’t have to attend to it straight away – Wrong again – you have 3days: 4 + 3 = 7, well it did when we went to school, and unless you send it first class mail (cost – whew!) you have failed before you started. But okay you send for those wonderful pills or potions that will relieve you of all pain, blood pressure, cholesterol etc and you may order a two months supply costing you say $75, and they will send you a free gift as well to thank you for your order! You do get the product, anything from 2 – 4months later and when you count the pills you will find nine times out of 10 you have received something like 28 tablets – Huh! Two months supply – what planet do they live on, there should be at least 60 tablets.
Then there are the other ones: Mrs or Mr C… has set the trust fund up and you have been selected to receive anything from 5-30 thousand dollars – to millions – sort of a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. Forget it, the only one receiving anything is the perpetrator and it’s YOUR money they are receiving. Your name has come to them through an exchange with other firms of postal addresses.
There is Madam So-in-so or Dr- So-in-so, Baroness or others with impressive names telling you, you have been chosen to receive this great wealth. Yes, you have been chosen- chosen to get fleeced if you send any money.
Well the time comes when you think you will use a ploy. Another letter comes from the same firm you are awaiting a reply from- your non-cheque that is, so you decide to write a letter to them asking where is cheque etc and advising how just how many tablets you received and the short fall. Being a business they will give you the courtesy of a reply – Forget it. Not a dicky bird will you hear from them, BUT they will send you another wonderful offer along with telling you this time you are the winner of 35 thousand dollars, just order the miracle cure they are offering and you will receive your cheque by return mail – why is it they do not understand RETURN MAIL? After two plus years we are still waiting!
It has been reported that some of these people have used physiologists to word their pamplets, in this way they hope it will attract more to their scam.
The old adage: "If it seems to be too good to be true – IT IS", is best kept right to the fore of your thinking. If you have to pay anything from $20 to yes even $250 to claim your prize forget it. There is definitely no pot of gold at the end of their promised rainbow- it has been proved.
Oh and don’t try to get it (cheque) by writing and saying:- Seeing I have won all this money and to save both of us extra costs. Take the required amount from my prize money- you can even take 4-5 hundred dollars and just send me the rest – that’s a no go either.
However to finish this warning we must admit we have gained something.
All the return envelopes keep them. Buy a packet of sticky labels and place over the address and hey presto you have an envelope you can use and its helping recycle.
We have done this over the last 2 plus years and in that time have only bought two packets of special envelopes. Whilst away attending a conference/workshop overseas I found on returning some 105 of these envelops declaring me a winner in my mail – took me a couple of days to go through it all and all for nothing.
Believe you me it is the only way you are going to receive any monies from the very, VERY, clever scam artists.
PLEASE don’t be taken in no matter how convincing it seems, you will never receive any monies from them, but they will more than gladly take yours and then ask for more!