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Ideas/Section-10
You go to your mailbox
today and find an official document from an Awards
Committee claiming that you've JUST WON $5,000! All you have to
do is run
in the house and call them to claim your prize! What joy! You can't
believe
it! You were wondering how you would pay the rent this month and
now all
your troubles are over. You call all your friends and relatives
to tell them
you've just won a sweepstakes. Everyone is happy for you and willing
to help
you spend your money correctly (to their benefit, of course.)
Now comes the rain on your parade. You
call the 900-number to claim your
prize. Who cares if the fine print says the call costs 98c per minute.
You've
just won $5,000. What's 98c to you?
After being kept on hold for quite awhile
you find out you've won $5,000
worth of COUPONS! What? You thought it was money you won? Whoops
- sorry, you
just paid 98c per minute (or about $9.80) for a bunch of worthless
coupons
you could have probably cut out of your Sunday paper. It's a rip-off
pure and
simple!
The TV show 60 Minutes had a special segment
about these companies. The
rip-off sweepstakes company gets MILLIONS of dollars per day with
their
900 phone lines just from people like you. They put you on hold
so they can
make MORE money from you. It has been reported that some operators
will sit
by the phone, timing you on their watch to see how long you'll hang
on. The
longer you hold on and run up your phone bill - the more "stupid"
they claim
you are.
Yes folks! These types of companies are
run by heartless, cruel and horrible
individuals that sit back and laugh at the very people lining their
pockets
with money! The government cannot shut them down because they are
giving you
$5,000. Its your problem that you thought it was "money"
instead of "coupons."
(This is an example of those "Legitimate Scams" I have
been warning you about
in other Victoria's Reports.) Always remember that if you REALLY
win money in
a sweepstakes it is unlawful to charge you even 1c to claim it!
In addition,
if you win any contest whatsoever, a real prize committee will visit
you
personally or call you themselves at their own expense.
Honest sweepstakes are set up to entice
people to try the products the
company is selling who is running the sweepstakes. Publishers Clearing
House is probably one of the best well-known sweepstakes around.
We all get
them in our mailbox every January and February. They are popular
because
people order magazines just to enter the sweepstakes. The sweepstakes
itself is very honest. However, a lady who used to work for them
told me
that if a sweepstakes form is returned WITHOUT an order, it is normally
discarded. Only a small majority are entered into the sweepstakes
- or just
enough to keep the federal agents off their back. Of course, if
you order
though - you have nothing to worry about. You have a whole one chance
in
17 million to win a prize!
Personally, if you enjoy entering sweepstakes,
I would suggest that you
contact Nick Taylor, 4215 Winnetka N #219, Minneapolis MN 55428.
Nick
publishes a newsletter called "The Best Sweepstakes Newsletter".
It is filled
with complete instructions for entering sweepstakes which give you
a greater chance of winning. The newsletter even holds it's own
contests
and drawings _ so you should be able to win something sooner or
later!
Subscriptions are $17.50 per year, but Nick will send you a sample
copy
to whet your appetite for $2.50.
Remember folks, that nobody is going to
give you something free when they
call you on the phone or send you a letter telling you that you
have won a
prize. But there are people that fall for these scams over and over
again
without thinking. The problem lies in the fact that these companies
fill
people with a bunch of hype and play on them emotionally. Everybody
wants
to have enough money to pay their bills, take a fabulous vacation,
relax in
their yacht, pay the children's way through college, work the hours
they
want to work, tell the boss to "take that job and shove it"
and buy a new
car and home for their family. Can you think of anyone that would
turn down
a proposition like this?
Human beings love the idea of getting something
for nothing. For some reason
it makes them feel like they are special and respected for all the
hard work
they have done all their life. People who have continually strived
for
something in life, only to have the door shut in their face are
potential
customers for scams and rip-off artists. These cruel people are
only after
the money you have worked so hard to make - so protect yourself
now!
