A. New Scam--Or an old One Refined?

Within the past week, we received 12 notifications of "Sweepstakes" that we might--emphasize here "might"--have already won.  Each one was filled with vague promises of riches, such as "Issuance of this statement and Payment Registration Lavel affixed to your envelope verifying this NOTICE regarding the February 2024, $10,000.00 Grand Prize Payment is yours."  Plus, warnings to "Hurry! Just a few weeks" and If you fail to return the winning Winner  Payment Form in time, it would be like throwing $10,000.00 out the window."  The sponsor of these sweepstakes, whose Grand Prizes (emphases in printed notices) is either vague or not given.  The amounts range from $10,000 to one million dollars, with some very odd amounts in between, E.G. $23,164.37.

Included in each colorful and full-page announcement is a small disclaimer that (a) we have not won and (b) donating to a charity will no effect on the outcome of the sweepstakes.  On the back of the sweepstakes announcement is a full page in fine print of ifs, ands, and buts.  Chief among them is that the grand prize has been pre-selected from among recipients of the announcements and the prize will be award if, and only if the winning pre-selected number is returned in time following precisely the instructions.   

Each sweepstakes announcement includes a request to donate some small amount to a charity that, presumably, has some connection with the sweepstakes being touted.  

That these may be organzied scams is reinforced when one looks at where the come from and where the completed sweepstakes forms go. Almost every one of them come from zip code 92878, around Anaheim California. Almost all return envelops have addresses to PO boxes in either Topeka, KS or St. Louis, Mo--regardelss of where the charities are supposed to be located. In sum, it is pretty obvious to Grumpy Grandpa hat a whole new industry of phony give-aways--perhaps modelled on the Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes but with much less finesse or legitimacy--has arisen. They obviously buy names and addresses from some source--perhaps legitimate charities, perhaps commercial mailing lists--and send out solicitations indiscriminately. Grandpa would be grateful to know if others have also been deluged with these get-rich-quick-easily come-ons.

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