Contests

onelongsong

normally i just delete any email that says i won something. but today i got an email from microsoft saying i won $1 million GBP. i didn't delete it for several reasons. first; it's from microsoft; second; all they ask for is an address to send a check to. most scams want personal information.

so my question to the train is:
has anyone else had experience with these types of contests and what was the outcome. do you think they are all scams?

chopitdown

onelongsong wrote:

ost scams want personal information.

so my question to the train is:
has anyone else had experience with these types of contests and what was the outcome. do you think they are all scams?

not all of them are scams; i'm actually very good friends with a descendant of a Nigerian King who emailed me out of the blue. He's a nice fellow

onelongsong

chopitdown wrote:

not all of them are scams; i'm actually very good friends with a descendant of a Nigerian King who emailed me out of the blue. He's a nice fellow

i get 3 emails a day from nigeria. same thing; he's a king and i'm related somehow and i've been left an inheritance. however; they ask for personal information so i just delete them.

floyd1975

onelongsong wrote:

i get 3 emails a day from nigeria. same thing; he's a king and i'm related somehow and i've been left an inheritance. however; they ask for personal information so i just delete them.

This may be a wonderful way to entertain yourself. I may have even found this site on this board.

http://www.419eater.com/

onelongsong

zstillings wrote:

This may be a wonderful way to entertain yourself. I may have even found this site on this board.

http://www.419eater.com/

thanks. i checked it out. the problem here is they don't ask any personal information and they don't ask for money. it's not that much money so i'm thinking about blowing it off. but coming from microsoft makes me ask questions.

hippiemom

onelongsong wrote:

normally i just delete any email that says i won something. but today i got an email from microsoft saying i won $1 million GBP. i didn't delete it for several reasons. first; it's from microsoft; second; all they ask for is an address to send a check to. most scams want personal information.

so my question to the train is:
has anyone else had experience with these types of contests and what was the outcome. do you think they are all scams?

Did you enter a Microsoft contest? If you didn't, it's a scam. Also, why would an American company being paying an American contest winner in British pounds?

mammasan

hippiemom wrote:

Did you enter a Microsoft contest? If you didn't, it's a scam. Also, why would an American company being paying an American contest winner in British pounds?

I didn't even catch that when I first read th post. That's a dead give away that it's a scam.

onelongsong

hippiemom wrote:

Did you enter a Microsoft contest? If you didn't, it's a scam. Also, why would an American company being paying an American contest winner in British pounds?

i'm trying to reach microsoft to see where i can forward it to. if someone is using their name i'm sure they'll want to know. i'm sure it's a scam too. i don't enter contests but this isn't a contest per se.
even if it were real; the governments taxes would get it all.
i actually hoped several people would say they got it too.

Kann

onelongsong wrote:

thanks. i checked it out. the problem here is they don't ask any personal information and they don't ask for money. it's not that much money so i'm thinking about blowing it off. but coming from microsoft makes me ask questions.

1 000 000 pounds is not that much money?
I can give you my adress if you wish!

onelongsong

Kann wrote:

1 000 000 pounds is not that much money?
I can give you my adress if you wish!

the way i see it; by the time the taxes are paid; it'll be closer to 1/4 million. you can't buy much with that these days.
what i do is compare the money with the aggravation or risk. giving out information could cost me several times that amount.

polaris

funniest thread to hit the train in ages!!

onelongsong

polaris wrote:

funniest thread to hit the train in ages!!

yea; i wasn't sure; but wanted to hear other peoples experiences with these scams.

polaris

onelongsong wrote:

yea; i wasn't sure; but wanted to hear other peoples experiences with these scams.

i couldn't stop laughing when you went on about the taxes you would have to pay!! ...

onelongsong

polaris wrote:

i couldn't stop laughing when you went on about the taxes you would have to pay!! ...

i worry about taxes every day. actually; i worry about how NOT to have to pay so much.

hippiemom

onelongsong wrote:

the way i see it; by the time the taxes are paid; it'll be closer to 1/4 million. you can't buy much with that these days.
what i do is compare the money with the aggravation or risk. giving out information could cost me several times that amount.

But you're forgetting that British pounds are worth almost twice what dollars are worth, so you're talking about close to $500,000 even if the taxes take as much as you say (which they wouldn't). Half a million bucks might not be enough to spend the rest of your life in the penthouse suite at the Ritz, but it should put gas in the car or cover the grocery bill for a while.

onelongsong

hippiemom wrote:

But you're forgetting that British pounds are worth almost twice what dollars are worth, so you're talking about close to $500,000 even if the taxes take as much as you say (which they wouldn't). Half a million bucks might not be enough to spend the rest of your life in the penthouse suite at the Ritz, but it should put gas in the car or cover the grocery bill for a while.

i believe the exchange rate is 1.87. but i have other factors to figure in. it's a scam so it's all academic but if they can't slip it into my trust; i'm not interested.

boxwine_in_hell

chopitdown wrote:

not all of them are scams; i'm actually very good friends with a descendant of a Nigerian King who emailed me out of the blue. He's a nice fellow

LMFAO......Yeah and just the other day, our nice government told me that there is all kinds of unclaimed land in my name that I need to claim fast before it's gone.

onelongsong

boxwine_in_hell wrote:

LMFAO......Yeah and just the other day, our nice government told me that there is all kinds of unclaimed land in my name that I need to claim fast before it's gone.

i've known people that have checked that unclaimed money website and actually got paid. it can be anything from a forgotten bank account to an inheritance. if it's really the government it wouldn't hurt to check it out.

Cosmo

Well, you aren't really you anymore, right? I thought you 'disappeared' and assumed the identity of a dead person.
And why does a milionaire who retired at age 40 need another million? Greed?
...
I say, go for it... I mean, what's the worst that can happen... they steal the identy you stole from someone else?

onelongsong

Cosmo wrote:

Well, you aren't really you anymore, right? I thought you 'disappeared' and assumed the identity of a dead person.
And why does a milionaire who retired at age 40 need another million? Greed?
...
I say, go for it... I mean, what's the worst that can happen... they steal the identy you stole from someone else?

you've got your facts wrong. i didn't assume someones idenity; they were looking for someone else and i was identified as that person.

anyway; if you read the thread; i don't want the money. i was only surprised that it seems to come directly from microsoft.

other than smoking pot; i've never comitted a crime and i resent the slanderous implication.

Cosmo

onelongsong wrote:

you've got your facts wrong. i didn't assume someones idenity; they were looking for someone else and i was identified as that person.

anyway; if you read the thread; i don't want the money. i was only surprised that it seems to come directly from microsoft.

other than smoking pot; i've never comitted a crime and i resent the slanderous implication.

...
except tax evasion.
...
Just messin' with ya. You past threads lead you right into them.