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Re: MONEY!!! EASY DOLLARS!!!



This is from the United States Postal Service web page at:
http://www.usps.gov/websites/depart/inspect/chainlet.htm I suggest you and everyone 
else that posts this crap read it. 


Chain Letters 


A chain letter is a "get rich quick" scheme that promises that your mail box will soon 
be stuffed full
of cash if you decide to participate. You're told you can make thousands of dollars 
every month if
you follow the detailed instructions in the letter. 

A typical chain letter includes names and addresses of several individuals whom you may 
or may
not know. You are instructed to send a certain amount of money--usually $5--to the 
person at the
top of the list, and then eliminate that name and add yours to the bottom. You are then 
instructed
to mail copies of the letter to a few more individuals who will hopefully repeat the 
entire process.
The letter promises that if they follow the same procedure, your name will gradually 
move to the
top of the list and you'll receive money -- lots of it. 

There's at least one problem with chain letters. They're illegal if they request money 
or other items
of value and promise a substantial return to the participants. Chain letters are a form 
of gambling,
and sending them through the mail (or delivering them in person or by computer, but 
mailing money
to participate) violates Title 18, United States Code, Section 1302, the Postal Lottery 
Statute.
(Chain letters that ask for items of minor value, like picture postcards or recipes, may 
be mailed,
since such items are not things of value within the meaning of the law.) 

Recently, high-tech chain letters have begun surfacing. They may be disseminated over 
the
Internet, or may require the copying and mailing of computer disks rather than paper. 
Regardless
of what technology is used to advance the scheme, if the mail is used at any step along 
the way, it
is still illegal. 

The main thing to remember is that a chain letter is simply a bad investment. You 
certainly won't
get rich. You will receive little or no money. The few dollars you may get will probably 
not be as
much as you spend making and mailing copies of the chain letter. 

Chain letters don't work because the promise that all participants in a chain letter 
will be winners is
mathematically impossible. Also, many people participate, but do not send money to the 
person at
the top of the list. Some others create a chain letter that lists their name numerous 
times--in various
forms with different addressee. So, in reality, all the money in a chain is going to one 
person. 

Do not be fooled if the chain letter is used to sell inexpensive reports on credit, mail 
order sales,
mailing lists, or other topics. The primary purpose is to take your money, not to sell 
information.
"Selling" a product does not ensure legality. Be doubly suspicious if there's a claim 
that the U.S.
Postal Service or U.S. Postal Inspection Service has declared the letter legal. This is 
said only to
mislead you. Neither the Postal Service nor Postal Inspectors give prior approval to any 
chain
letter. 

Participating in a chain letter is a losing proposition. Turn over any chain letter you 
receive that
asks for money or other items of value to your local postmaster or nearest Postal 
Inspector. Write
on the mailing envelope of the letter or in a separate transmittal letter, "I received 
this in the mail
and believe it may be illegal."
-- 
*************************************************
  ShawnL19@eos.net   or   ShawnL@tso.cin.ix.net
*************************************************



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