"Important Delivery" letter, my foot!

[tignor]

Ok, guys, I work for the post office and even thought this was something important for a split second.

I recieved a letter yesterday, one of those flimsy paper ones with the carbon paper inside that they type from the outside. You know the kind, you have to fold and peel off the sides to open it. Anyway, on the front it says on the side in Blue and Orange "Important Delivery Letter " (makes it kind of look like it's priority, they way they have it typed.) Also on the outside it says "Official Notice" "Do Not Fold" and the return address is printed on but it looks handwritten---NME/Pat Haines, 16/20 US Hwy 19N, Clearwater FL 33764.

When opened, inside it says "Call 1-800-***-**** ID # 65******* Dear Stephanie We are Trying to reach you regarding your $1,000,000.00 Sweepstakes ID # 65*******. Please call us at the above number. This is a free call. Sincerely--Pat Haines, Sales Representative.

At the bottom in small print: Prize will be awarded as 30 annual installments of $33,333.34. There is no purchase required to enter or win and a purchase will not improve your chances of winning.

There is a bunch of legal jargon on the back.

Ok, I know you are all really smart out there but I thought I should post this. It looks really official but the DEAD GIVEAWAY is the Prsrt Std. postage. This is BULK RATE, 3RD CLASS. This means they mailed thousands, probally millions of these. If you call this number who knows what will happen. Toss this in the trash. Stuff like this should be illegial. I wonder if there is a prize to give away. Dateline NBC should do a show on this junk.

[Cyrano_de_Texas]

I hate the ones that are obviously targeted to the elderly - you know - everything is in great big letters EXCEPT the part about "no purchase being required to win".

These people are the scum of the earth, in my eyes - and I would willingly take unpaid time off from work to testify against them!

[onogirl]

I have gotten that same letter, and from the same person! "Pat Haines" sells magazine subscriptions!

[WKRP2002]

I used to get these frequently-----and from the same person----->Pat Haines. Have not rec'd any lately tho.........FILE 13!:nay:

[Skipper]

I got one of those, assumed I won, and spent it all.:smile3:

[SeaDebi]

We are professional sweepers~~
I got one too~~lol...
I was fooled for a minute~~:grin2:

[sweepsguy]

The dead give away is

Pat Haines, Sales Representative.

I have gotten this too. Didn't that strike you as odd Sales Representative ?

[lkhenderson]

Oh yes, good ol' Pat sends me a piece of mail every six months or so along with a couple of other standard names (Chris something-or-other). I've always tossed her trash, but my formerly very intelligent 80-year-old grandmother has suddenly become very susceptible to these type of direct mailings. My grandfather has to beat her to the mailbox to weed them out. She's also very vulnerable to snake-oil "Miracle Elixir" types of mail.

If stuff like that isn't "false advertising", I don't know what is.

[Cyrano_de_Texas]

I'm with you, LK.....My 75-year old mom is susceptible to these scams, too. I've posted before about the mail "sweeps" letters that are specifically targeted top the elderly - the ones that say, "CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'VE DEFINITELY WON!" and then, in teeny letters, say, "if you send us $40 to do a search and if we find your name on our list."

These people are scum....How do they sleep at night?

[ithildin]

Pat Haines wrote to me as well! I have a new pen pal! :p

[Gomez]

Sure would be a shame if you tried to send a fax to that 1-800 number and it dialed over and over again trying to find a fax machine at the other end wasting lots of their phone bill minutes. Sure would be a shame if someone told you this would be incredibly easy and free for you to do using freeware fax softwware on your computer.

[MidnightMoon]

I've got that letter a whole bunch of times before

[wottahuzzee]

Oooh, Gomez, you are bad. I like you.:cheer4:

[ktmdy]

I got one of those last week.. exactly one of those.. it was in the trash pretty fast after I took a good look at it, too. Thanks Though

[Twizz1233]

:bump: Bumped

....because I got the very same thing (from N.M.E.) in the mail today. LOL Oh, are they sneaky.....they use the same lettering and colors as FedEx! I can see where someone would be very fooled by this....all this about affidavits on the back of the envelope & everything. LOL

Now that the "do not call" registry is starting up, I guess we can expect a lot more of this kind of stuff in our snail mail. :eek2:

NME?? boo hiss!! :toss:

[Karen_246]

NME sends me one every couple of months, good ole' Pat...






It just goes in the trash...


Karen:smile2:

[cyndyrella]

Even tho it costs .37 and the price of an envelope I send them back to Pat, haven't gotten one in a while- maybe they got the hint. Also If I get those "YOU WON blah...blah.." If it comes with a postage paid envelope, I stuff it all in the envelope and mail it back.:cheer:

[dairyaire]

i didn't get just one of those...........no yesterday they sent me the SECOND AND FINAL NOTICE CONTACT US!!!................gee i better hurry

[jacklynlauren]

I get that one all the time it usually starts when you send entrys in for publishers clearing house.and they are persitent in calling your home to sell you magazines.they always want your credit card number too.:nay:

[Cwazy Wabbit]

I've received "notices" like this more than I care to mention. These people/companies are shameless scum. :mad2:

[Baldy]

http://twiki.cageyconsumer.com/NationalMagazineExchange

[tignor]

Well, it had to happen. I've gotten another, this time it's stamped Second Notice instead of Official Notice. Well, I haven't noticed anything other than those 2 at the post office going to other people but yes, I see these ALL THE TIME.

Here is what my SECOND NOTICE says (in all capital letters too):

Dear Stephanie
We have been trying to reach you regarding your $1,000,000.00 Sweepstakes ID #683******.
Please call us at the above number. This is a free call.

Sincerely--Pat Haines, Sales Representative


OH NO! I have to go, this MUST be important!

Sheesh, why can't these guys give up? Going right into File #!#.

[Baldy]

I rec'd one today....

[Bender]

I get the same one every other month. I threw them away even before I started sweeping :p

[cardav52224]

I get stuff from her too all the time. My favorite part of the letter: In very very small print it says that your odds of winning are 1:250,000,000.
Pat Hines must be one busy human (if she/he is even human)

[fundunn]

Believe it or not, I responded to one and it was a magazine subscription service selling or rather, trying to sell me multiple subscriptions and persistently asking for my credit card number every other sentence. Naturally, I caved in...not! Pat was very angry, by the way.:grin2:

[mnredbird]

:laugh: I responded to that one and the poor guy who called after all his sale pitches and questions as to why not. I said you know what I have been on the phone so long I have to go run and use the bathroom, he asked if he could call back! Not!

[autumn1974]

I think Pat has given up on me. Haven't seen one of those in a while. Darn! :)