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If
you have an
email account,
you probably
get unwanted
mail promising
you all sorts
of wonderful
things.
The
senders of these
emails take
you to a fantasy
world where
whatever you
want is yours
- with no effort,
education, or
work of any
kind. They say
they know the
secret to boundless
wealth, with
money dripping
from your mailbox
and they are
willing to share
it with you
- for only $9.95,
$29.95, $369.95
or whatever.
If
I had taken
up all the personalised,
exclusive offers
that have flooded
into my mail
box over the
past week I
would be enjoying
all of the following:
- Millions
of dollars
being regularly
deposited
into my bank
account by
helping unfortunate
Nigerians
transfer their
vast wealth
out of their
country.
- A
full head
of luxuriant
hair, no acne,
and a quality
house for
only $5,000
- No
Septic tank
problems
- Free
DVD's and
cable television
- Thousands
of dollars
of income
a week from
my own gambling
sites
- Unlimited
hits and high
commissions
from visitors
to my website
- The
ability to
eat whatever
I wanted,
while losing
weight
- The
ability to
promote my
website to
2000 million
eager prospects
without spamming
them.
- Protection
from Terrorist
attacks by
installing
a pirated
copy of Norton
software
- A
whole range
of new female
friends that
like farm
animals
- Enough
free Viagra
to share with
all of them
- A
pre approved
loan of $118,937.45
- Legitimate
Bachelors
and Masters
degrees in
whatever field
I wanted without
the hassle
of doing any
study. My
extensive
life experiences
would be sufficient
to qualify.
(Makes me
feel stupid
for spending
7 years studying
part time
for a business
degree)
- Winnings
of $100,000
in a lottery
sponsored
by Bill Gates
and the Sultan
of Brunei
- Methods
of keeping
my family
safe in the
event of a
terrorist
attack
- Free
bottle of
VP-RX which
will add 3
1/4 inches
to the length
of an important
part of my
body. (Not
sure how this
will go with
the potion
that adds
8 inches to
my non existent
bust line)
- An
offer to submit
my website
to over 300,000
vital search
engines and
directories
- A
mysterious
offer to invest
$369.75 in
a new, secret
opportunity
that will
make a fortune
really soon.
Unfortunately
it's too secret
for them to
provide any
details at
this stage,
so I'm asked
to trust them.
No problem!
sure I'll
do that.
Many
people get sucked
in, send off
money, and are
surprised when
they find they
have become
victims of the
same old cons
that have been
around for years.
Remember
the old saying
- If an offer
seems too good
to be true -
it probably
is. You CAN
make money on
the internet,
but it takes
hard work, knowledge,
and it doesn't
happen overnight.
Just like a
non-internet
business.
Before
you are tempted
to spend money
on an unbelievable
offer, check
it out. Some
places that
provide information
are:
http://www.friendsinbusiness.com/ -
Set up by Leslie
Fountain, who
was conned on
the internet
many, many times.
She tells her
story on the
site, and provides
a forum where
you can ask
questions about
any program
or company that
you may be thinking
of getting involved
with.
http://www.scamwatch.com/ Contains some
good information
about the types
of scams common
on the internet,
with real life
stories organised
in categories
of scam.
(However, I'm
amused at their
claimed affiliation
with the "International
Web Police"
founded in 1986
- long before
there was a
web)
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