Opportunity! what do you think

[hta86]

Just found this on one of the forums, do you think it works?
EARN EXTRA MONEY AT HOME
TURN SIX DOLLARS INTO SIX THOUSAND QUICK AND EASY.
HOW TO TURN SIX DOLLARS INTO SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS:
READING THIS COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE! IT DOES WORK!
I found this on a bulletin board and decided to try it. A
little while back, I was browsing through newsgroups, just like you
are now, and came across an article similar to this that said you could
make thousands of dollars within weeks with only an initial
investment of $6.00! So I thought, "Yeah right, this must be a scam", but
like most of us, I was curious, so I kept reading. Anyway, it
said that you send $1.00 to each of the 6 names and address stated
in the article. You then place your own name and address in the bottom
of the list at #6, and post the article in at least 200
newsgroups. (There are thousands) No catch, that was it. So after thinking
it over, and talking to a few people first, I thought about trying
it. I figured: "what have I got to lose except 6 stamps and $6.00,
right?" Then I invested the measly $6.00. Well GUESS WHAT!?...
within 7 days, I started getting money in the mail! I was
shocked! I figured it would end soon, but the money just kept coming in.
In my first week, I made about $25.00. By the end of the second week
I had made a total of over $1,000.00! In the third week I had over
$10,000.00 and it's still growing. This is now my fourth week
and I have made a total of just over $42,000.00 and it's still coming
in rapidly. It's certainly worth $6.00, and 6 stamps, I have spent
more than that on the lottery!! Let me tell you how this works and
most importantly, WHY it works... Also, make sure you print a copy
of this article NOW, so you can get the information off of it as you
need it. I promise you that if you follow the directions exactly, that
you will start making more money than you thought possible by doing
something so easy!
Suggestion: Read this entire message carefully! (print it out
or download it.) Follow the simple directions and watch the money
come in!
It's easy. It's legal. And, your investment is only $6.00 (Plus
postage)
IMPORTANT: This is not a rip-off; it is not indecent; it is not
illegal; and it is 99% no risk - it really works!
If all of the following instructions are adhered to, you will
receive extraordinary dividends.
PLEASE NOTE:
Please follow these directions EXACTLY, and $50,000 or more can
be yours in 20 to 60 days. This program remains successful because
of the honesty and integrity of the participants. Please continue
its success by carefully adhering to the instructions.
You will now become part of the Mail Order business. In this
business your product is not solid and tangible, it's a service. You are
in the business of developing Mailing Lists. Many large
corporations are happy to pay big bucks for quality lists. However, the money
made from the mailing lists is secondary to the income which is made
from people like you and me asking to be included in that list.
Here are the 4 easy steps to success:
STEP 1: Get 6 separate pieces of paper and write the following on
each piece of paper "PLEASE PUT ME ON YOUR MAILING LIST." Now
get 6 US $1.00 bills and place ONE inside EACH of the 6 pieces
of paper so the bill will not be seen through the envelope (to
prevent thievery). Next, place one paper in each of the 6 envelopes and
seal them. You should now have 6 sealed envelopes, each with a piece
of paper stating the above phrase, your name and address, and a
$1.00 bill. What you are doing is creating a service. THIS IS
:ABSOLUTELY LEGAL! You are requesting a legitimate service and you are
paying for it! Like most of us I was a little skeptical and a little
worried about the legal aspects of it all. So I checked it out with the
U.S. Post Office (1-800-725-2161) and they confirmed that it is
indeed legal. Mail the 6 envelopes to the following addresses:

#1)E. Benford
6656 Mableton Pwky APT # D4
Mableton, GA 30126

#2) Kim Williams
3334 Kingsland Avenue
Bronx, NY 10469

#3) Steve Turner
P.O. Box 475
Idaho City, ID 83631

#4) Melanie Tribe
13712 130 ave
Edmonton, AB Canada T5L 5C5

#5) Jay Crawford
485 Crane Street
Brighton, CO 80601

#6) Alex Popov
10901 Meadowglen Ln # 227
Houston, TX, 77042


: STEP 2: Now take the #1 name off the list that you see above,
: move the other names up (6 becomes 5, 5 becomes 4, etc...) and add
: YOUR Name as number 6 on the list.
: STEP 3: Change anything you need to, but try to keep this
: article as close to original as possible. Now, post your amended article
: to at least 200 newsgroups. (I think there are close to 24,000
: groups) All you need is 200, but remember, the more you post, the more
: money you make! You won't get very much unless you post like crazy.
: This is perfectly legal! If you have any doubts, refer to Title
: 18 Sec. 1302 & 1341 of the Postal lottery laws.
: Keep a copy of these steps for yourself and, whenever you need
: money, you can use it again, and again.
: PLEASE REMEMBER that this program remains successful because of
: the honesty and integrity of the participants and by their
: carefully adhering to the directions. Look at it this way. If you are of
: integrity, the program will continue and the money that so many
: others have received will come your way.
: NOTE: You may want to retain every name and address sent to
: you, either on a computer or hard copy and keep the notes people
: send you. This VERIFIES that you are truly providing a service. (Also, it
: might be a good idea to wrap the $1 bill in dark paper to reduce the
: risk of mail theft.)
: So, as each post is downloaded and the directions carefully
: followed,
: six members will be reimbursed for their participation as a
: List
: Developer with one dollar each. Your name will move up the list
: geometrically so that when your name reaches the #1 position
: you will be receiving thousands of dollars in CASH!!! What an
: opportunity for only $6.00 ($1.00 for each of the first six people listed
: above) Send
: it now, add your own name to the list and you're in business!
: ---DIRECTIONS ----- FOR HOW TO POST TO NEWSGROUPS------------
: Step 1) You do not need to re-type this entire letter to do
: your own posting. Simply put your cursor at the beginning of this letter
: and drag your cursor to the bottom of this document, and select
: 'copy' from the edit menu. This will copy the entire letter into the
: computer's memory.
: Step 2) Open a blank 'notepad' file and place your cursor at
: the top of the blank page. From the 'edit' menu select 'paste'. This
: will paste a copy of the letter into notepad so that you can add
: your name to the list. Step 3) Save your new notepad file as a .txt file.
: If you want to do your postings in different settings, you'll
: always have this file to go back to.
: Step 4) Use Netscape or Internet explorer and try searching for
: various newsgroups (on-line forums, message boards, chat sites,
: discussions.)
: Step 5) Visit these message boards and post this article as a
: new message by highlighting the text of this letter and selecting
: paste from the edit menu. Fill in the Subject, this will be the
: header that everyone sees as they scroll through the list of postings in a
: particular group, click the post message button. You're done
: with your first one! Congratulations...THAT'S IT! All you have to do
: is jump to different newsgroups and post away, after you get the
: hang of it, it will take about 30 seconds for each newsgroup!
: **REMEMBER, THE
: MORE NEWSGROUPS YOU POST IN, THE MORE MONEY YOU WILL MAKE! BUT
: YOU HAVE TO POST A MINIMUM OF 200** That's it! You will begin
: receiving money from around the world within days! You may eventually
: want to rent a P.O.Box due to the large amount of mail you will
: receive. If you wish to stay anonymous, you can invent a name to use, as
: long as the postman will deliver it. **JUST MAKE SURE ALL THE ADDRESSES
: ARE CORRECT.**
: : Now, each of the 5 persons who just sent me $1.00 make the MINIMUM
: 200 postings, each with my name at #5 and only 5 persons respond to
: each of the original 5, that is another $25.00 for me, now those 25
: each make 200 MINIMUM posts with my name at #4 and only 5 replies
: each, I will bring in an additional $125.00! Now, those 125 persons
: turn around and post the MINIMUM 200 with my name at #3 and only
: receive 5 replies each, I will make an additional $625.00! OK, now here
: is the fun part, each of those 625 persons post a MINIMUM 200 letters
: with my name at #2 and they each only receive 5 replies, that just
: made me $3,125.00!!! Those 3,125 persons will all deliver this message
: to 200 newsgroups with my name at #1 and if still 5 persons per 200
: : newsgroups react I will receive $15,625,00! With an original
: : investment of only $6.00! AMAZING! When your name is no longer
: on the list, you just take the latest posting in the newsgroups, and
: send out another $6.00 to names on the list, putting your name at
: number 6 again. And start posting again. The thing to remember is: do
: you realize that thousands of people all over the world are joining
: the internet and reading these articles everyday?, JUST LIKE YOU
: are now!! So, can you afford $6.00 and see if it really works?? I
: think so... People have said, "what if the plan is played out and no
: : one sends you the money? So what! What are the chances of that
: : happening when there are tons of new honest users and new
: honest
: : people who are joining the internet and newsgroups everyday and
: are willing to give it a try? Estimates are at 20,000 to 50,000 new
: : users, every day, with thousands of those joining the actual
: : internet. Remember, play FAIRLY and HONESTLY and this will
: really work.
: Give it a shot!

[DBeavers]

If you use stamps, then you are using the US Postal Service to deliver mail, in violation of US Codes governing chain letters and pyramid schemes. Forget whatever anyone told you about this being legal.

You can lose your internet service, be fine hundreds of dollars and in the worst case scenario - do jail time.

Posting this illegal scheme is forbidden on most forums.

Posting this can also destroy any credibility you have on those forums from otherwise legitimate posts you have made.

In addition, many people cheat, and don't tend to pay the $1 to those people named, they just do like you did and post them, because you can post with or without paying and save the nearly $3 in postage.

Some less than ethical people will even remove 4 or more of the six names, inserting friends, family, and ficticious names with various addresses and PO Boxes, hoping to get even more $1 bills. (However, the more chain letters they receive, the greater likelihood that the Post Office will notice the volume and catch them.

My recommendation is that you avoid these chain letters like the plague, and edit or delete any of these posts that you can.

Dennis