Path: utzoo!telecom-request Date: Fri, 28 Jun 1991 07:43:00 GMT From: David Schanen Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Telescam: Be Careful Who You Send Checks To Message-ID: Organization: TELECOM Digest Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 497, Message 5 of 10 Lines: 34 In article pad@groucho.att.com Patricia A Dunkin) writes: > The second number was answered by a recording that told me roughly the > same thing the human did concerning the trip I had "won" to Hawaii, > instructed me to send a self-addressed stamped envelope and a check > for $12.95 to a Chicago address, and assured me that the travel office > fees would not exceed one Y-class fare to Hawaii. That must have been > the punch line. There are actually legal businesses doing this sort of thing. They get enough people to send them $12.95 and it adds up. The prizes (Hawaii vacations etc) often combinations of coupons, hotel accomodations, free film and developing, portraits, or other promotional material, mostly things you could find in magazines if you looked hard enough. I rememer a place like this in Denver that would call you and get you to answer a trivia question. If you got it right (two out of three chance:) you win a choice between Las Vegas or Hawaii! (Hotel accomodations only - transportation not included.) If you got it wrong, you get another guess, congratulations you win! Then you get a package of coupons, free portraits, etc ... delivered _to your door_ for a small promotional fee of $29.95. Ahh well ... shady but legal. I'm sure a *few* people even got there monies worth. Cheers! Dave Inet: mtv@milton.u.washington.edu * 8kyu * UUNET: ...uunet!uw-beaver!u!mtv