I found this on a bulletin board and decided to try it. A little while back, I was browsing through newsgroups msg boards, just like you are, and came across an article similar to this that said you could make thousands of dollars within weeks with only an initial investment of £3.00!or or that equal amount in your currency .

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 have to send

£0.50 to each of the 6 names and addresses 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 few people first, I thought about trying it. I figured "what have I got to lose except 6 stamps and £3.00, right? " Then I invested the measly £3. 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. Thousands of pounds - and it's still coming in rapidly! It's certainly worth £3.00, and 6 stamps. Let me tell you how this

works, and most importantly, why it works. If you follow the directions exactly, you will start making more money

than you thought possible by doing something this 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

£3.00(Plus postage). I don't know about you but I have droped more money

then that on the ground... IMPORTANT: This is not a rip-off; it is not indecent; it is not illegal;

and it is virtually 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 £10,000 or more

could be yours in 20 to 60 days. This program remains successful because

of the honesty and integrity of the participants. Please continue its

success. You will now become part of the Mail Ordering 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 list is secondary 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 UK £0.50 coins(or equal to that amount in any currency) and

tape ONE to EACH of the 6 pieces of paper, so that the coin will not

break through the envelope. Wrap the £0.50 coins in dark paper to avoid

mail theft. Next, place one paper in each of the 6 envelopes. MAKE SURE

THAT THERE ARE ENOUGH STAMPS ON YOUR ENVELOPES. You should now have 6 sealed envelopes, each with a piece of

paper stating the above phrase, your name and address, and a £0.50 coin.

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 sceptical and a little worried about the legal

aspects of it all. So if you check it out with the Post Office they will

confirm that it is indeed legal! Mail the six envelopes to the following

addresses: #1)J. Walker, 22 New Rowley Road, Dudley, West Midlands, DY2 8AS #2)H. Clarke, 32 Wood Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 3RD #3)A. Ashwin, The Vicarage, Haydon Bridge, Northumberland, NE47 6LL #4)D. McBain, Armd Tp 77 Armd Engr Sqn, 35 Engr Regt, BFPO 22 #5)R. Cumner 30 Penpethy Close, Brixham, South Devon, TQ5 8NP #6)L. Chartrand, 410-151 Mapleglen Drive, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R2P 0N2

STEP 2: Now take the number 1 name off the list that you see above, and move the others up 1, (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. All you need is 200, but

remember, the more you post, the more money you make I'm from canada when I found this post I followed the instructions and just converted the money from Canadian £0.50 to $1.15 Can. : EVERYBODY AROUND THE WORLD CAN DO IT, BUT REMEMBER TO PUT ENOUGH STAMPS ON YOUR ENVELOPES! Keep a copy of these steps for yourself and, whenever you

need money, you can use it again, and again. 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 addresses sent to you, either on a computer or a hard

copy, and keep the notes people send you. This VERIFIES that you are

truly providing a service. So, as each post is downloaded and the

directions followed carefully, six members will be reimbursed for their

participation as a List Developer. Your name will move up the list

geometrically so that when your name reaches the #1 position you will be

receiving thousands of pounds in CASH!!!! What an opportunity for such

little money. SEND it now; remember to 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 highlight the document, and select copy\rquote 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 always have this file to go

back to. STEP 4) Use Netscape or Internet Explorer and try searching for various

news groups (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 copy 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\rquote button.(cut & paste) 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! You will begin receiving money from around the world

within days! Now the WHY part: Out of 200 postings, say you receive only

10 replies. So then you make £35.00 with your name at #6 on the letter. Now, each of the 10 persons who just sent you £0.50 makes the MINIMUM 200 postings, each with your name at #5, and only 10 persons respond to each of the original 10, that is another £50.00 for you. Now those 100 each make a MINIMUM 200 with your name at #4 and only receive 10 replies each, you will make an additional £500.00!! OK, now here is the fun part - each of those 1000 persons post a MINIMUM 200 letters with your name at #3 and they each only receive 10 replies, that just made you £5,000.00!!!! Those 10,000 persons will all deliver this message to 200 newsgroups with your name at #2, and if still 10 people per 200 newsgroups react, you will receive £50,000.00! For worst case scenario: if you half the response by the time your name gets to number 1 in the list, and you halve that again! (Only 2.5 responses per newsgroup) you are still due £125,000.00 in the post. With an original investment of only £3.00! AMAZING!!!! When your name is no longer on the list, you write to the name and address in the number one slot on the first list that you replied to, and he or she will send you details of how to take part in the next stage; so that you can enjoy bigger earnings from your new business. If you think this one is good.. by then you will be an experienced winner. The thing to remember is: do you realize that thousands of people all over the world are joining the Internet (over 16 Million in the UK alone) and reading these articles everyday? JUST LIKE YOU are now!! So can you afford £3.00 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 newsgroups everyday and are willing to give it a try? Estimates are at 20,000 to 50,000 users everyday, with thousands of those joining the actual Internet. Remember, play FAIRLY and HONESTLY and this will really work. NOTE: WE KNOW WHO IS NOT BEING FAIR AND HONEST. GOODLUCK in YOUR NEW BUSINESS! You can make it happen, do it!

-- L Chartrand (lc_fly@hotmail.com), June 08, 2002

Answers

This is a pyramid scheme, also known as a Ponzi scheme, and it's illegal in California and I'm sure elsewhere. It doesn't belong on the Open Water Rowing Forum, so I'm requesting that the moderator remove it. Thanks.

-- Kathleen McKinley (k.mckinley@attbi.com), July 19, 2002.

this is such b.s....do you know how many of these are on the net, and im sure stupid people send their money in hopes of false dreams.

-- rupert mcgee (rupertmc@sbcglobal.net), October 13, 2003.