Would you like to work for the goverment? (Scam)

Posted on October 25, 2015 by The Old Wolf

It’s safe to say that there are as many ways to scam as there are scammers.

From: “Abranco” <demoonth@demo.ontha.com>

To: <abranco@cheshirect.org>

Cc: <undisclosed recipients>

Subject: Government Job Offer

Dear Sir or Madam

Would you like to work for the Government organization and participate in

the development of the United States?

Perhaps it is your talent the country needs at this moment.

Requirements – U.S. citizenship and minimum age 21

We invite you to work closely, anyone who does not care about the life of the state.

If you are a student, military, businessman, retired – we’ll be happy to listen to the opinions of everyone and take help from you.

Please send a brief summary to the human resource assistant on the lyne.holt@gmail.com and you will be assigned to interview

Naturally I never responded to this illicit offer, but you can bet your bottom dollar that the response would have somehow involved wiring funds via Western Union to someone in Africa for “interview fees,” or perhaps lead to a mail forwarding scam.

In the 1st quarter of 2015, spam accounted for almost 60% of all email traffic, according to this excellent article from SecureList. Have a look at the very top of my Spam inbox:

Even if these emails are not directly criminal in nature (that is, loaded with malware or phishing attempts), my rule of thumb is this:

“If a company spams you, avoid them at all costs.”

It’s a virtual certainty that their “offer” is fraudulent or, at the very least, a bad deal for you and a good deal for them.

Be careful out there.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Send now, $115 through Western Union or Money Gram!

Posted on September 17, 2015 by The Old Wolf

As soon as you see the words “Nigeria,” “Western Union,” “MoneyGram,” or anything else that has to do with sending your hard-earned money to Africa, run the other way and don’t look back.

While these letters may seem repetitive, I post them here in case anyone who is considering acting on these scams does a Google search. If I can keep a single person from losing their funds to these scumbags, it will have been worth it.

From: Info Desk <ndlea1@yahoo.com>

Subject: RE: We have completed the Automated Access code number program.

To: edcsservices@hotmail.com

From the desk of: Dr (Mrs) Sarah Alade,

Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Plot 33, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Way CBD, Cadastral Zone, Abuja, FCT

Attn: Beneficiary

We have completed the Automated Access code number program.

All we need now is for an attorney from our legal department to sign and we shall give you the access code and the program which your bank or our accredited paying bank near you will use to access the escrow using the password and your will get your funds.

Truly, everything is ready to go. It would cost you US$115.

The US$115 is to obtain the authorization and legal signing fee of the accredited attorney from our legal department, who will sign to enable us give the release codes to either JP Morgan Chase & Co., Bank of America or BB&T Corporation to enable them access the escrow and pay the first $500,000 installments to you through check, draft or cash.

Due to nefarious activities of our corresponding banks and agents, we went into processing, management and online portal services pact with some banks in US.

We presently have three claimants in Georgia (U.S. state) and New York, one is from White Plains and 1 is from Ellijay.

We set up a secured escrow which can be accessed by and domiciled in JP Morgan Chase & Co., Bank of America or BB&T Corporation for the purpose of these transactions.

Once the claimant satisfies the rule, the authorization and legal signing by the Central Bank of Nigeria accredited attorney done, we will give remittance order/authorization to either JP Morgan Chase & Co., Bank of America or BB&T Corporation depending on proximity to the client. Then either JP Morgan Chase & Co., Bank of America or BB&T Corporation will access the escrow using the PIN and password, then update the programmed funds from the escrow and pay it to the client in $500,000 installments through check, draft or cash even through local wire transfer depending on the choice of the beneficiary.

The US$500,000 is to bypass bureaucratic bottlenecks and unending money laundering quagmire and brouhaha.

Send now, $115 through Western Union or Money Gram to:-

Receiver: Adamu Ahmed

Address: Plot 33, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Way Central Business District, Cadastral Zone, Abuja, FCT

Question: Place

Answer: FCT

Thanks, and we regret any inconveniences you might have passed through.

Yours sincerely

DR. (MRS) SARAH ALADE,

DEPUTY GOVERNOR, CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA (CBN)

Marketing by Deception (Once Again)

Posted on September 17, 2015 by The Old Wolf

Edit: A recent comment indicates that these bottom-feeders have changed their name to “PVS LLC,” but are still sending out basically the same letter. Also operating as “TCU 100” in New Mexico and elsewhere. Beware.

“You are a Finalist in our 2016 Toyota Prius Giveaway!” trumpets the letter.

Notice: They’ve never tried contacting me before, but along with the Washington DC return address, the “Final Attempt” makes the letter seem more urgent.

Cute electronic gizmo and a scratch-off number. Any bets as to whether the numbers match? Pull the tab, scratch the number:

What a surprise!

So I’m guaranteed to win one of those four fabulous prizes. Let’s look at the odds of winning on the fine print:

Prius: 1:180,000
Plasma TV: 1:180,000
Apple iPad Air: 1:180,000
Cruise: 179,997:180,000

If you’ve taken 9th-grade math, you know that it’s a sure thing you’ll be walking away from this experience with a cruise (valued up to $1,900.00).

This promotion is run by “Book and Sea,” a travel club that is using this promotion to “introduce their services.”

When I called the number, the young lady launched into her pitch and told me I’d be winning one of these great prizes, plus up to a $100.00 WalMart gift card. I asked her which prize I had won, and she said that I would only find out about that at the presentation. At this point I hung up.

Based on comments found on the web, it’s just another tired clone of Global Travel Network, about which I have already written:

“It is a 90 minute presentation you must listen to about a travel club and the discount they can give you (after you pay the fee for the membership). The idea is very interesting and the price was about $11,000 for a life time membership and an additional $300 per year fee. If you are interested I would suggest you play the game and say no to them first because they will come down drastically with the dollar amount that you would end up paying . At the end we got our salesman to give us the same deal for $3,775 and he was going to throw in two additional tickets for the cruise. We did not make the purchase however several people did at full price. We walked out with a gift card to walmart, which when I call to et the balance was only $5.00.”

According to the letter, the odds for the $100.00 gift card are 4:180,000, meaning everyone else gets a measly five bucks.

These drones are targeting married couples with a combined income of over $60,000. As I wrote about in my previous post, even the cruise is no “prize” – by the time you pay taxes and other activation fees, you could probably find a flight and cruise as cheaply by yourself on the internet. So if they can sucker three or four couples per presentation to drop $11,000 plus a $300 per year maintenance fee, handing out these worthless cruises and gift cards makes the whole operation a pretty sweet racket.

Stay away from such scummy operators. Anyone who advertises their services with such reckless deception has the morals of a honey badger.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Just another Nigerian scam letter

Posted on September 11, 2015 by The Old Wolf

As long as these keep coming, you know that someone out there is falling for them. Education is the best defense. Protect your loved ones.

Subject: UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC. UBA/QUICKLY GET BACK TO ME.

From: “DR.WILLIAM ANNO” <drgrahamhonnse@gmail.com>

To: undisclosed-recipients:;

SPTEMBER, 07/09/ 2015

UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC. (UBA)
ADDRESS: HEAD OFFICE: 57, MARINA STREET, LAGOS NIGERIA

URGENT ATTENTION,

I AM DR. WILLIAM ANNO, FROM OFFICE OF ATM SWIFT CARD DEPARTMENT (UNITED BANK OF AFRICA) WE KNEW IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN LONG TIME WAITING FOR YOUR ATM CARD ALL THE TIME YET THINGS DIDN’T WORK OUT TO YOUR EXPECTATION BUT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR FILE HAS NOT GOTTEN TO THIS OFFICE, THEN BESIDE MOST CARDS ARE BEING SENT THROUGH AFRICAN AND AFTER MUCH INVESTIGATION IT WAS RESULTED THAT 95% OF THE ATM CARD WAS NOT GOOD WHICH IS THE REASON THE CARD COULD NOT BEING USE. TO THIS EFFECT, THE APPROPRIATE AUTHORITIES (ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES OF AFRICAN AND AMERICAN GOVERNMENT) HAS DECIDED NOT TO DELIVER CARD TO
FOREIGN CLIENTS THROUGH AFRICAN ANYMORE DUE TO A LOT OF COMPLAINS THAT BENEFICIARIES ARE NOT RECEIVING THEIR PAYMENT AFTER FEES HAS BEEN PAID.

THIS OFFICE WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT EVERYTHING IS IN ORDER, ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES AND AMERICAN GOVERNMENT HAVE AGREED FOR YOU TO RECEIVE YOUR FUND (ATM MASTER CARD) THROUGH OUR (UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA) AND YOU ARE TO CONTACT THIS OFFICE IMMEDIATELY FOR THE RELEASE OF YOUR ATM MASTER CARD WITH YOUR FULL INFORMATION TO ENABLE US COVERS THE INSURANCE COVERAGE AND PLEASE INCLUDE COPY OF YOUR IDENTITY FOR PROPER REPROGRAMMING AND ACTIVATION OF YOUR CARD PIN NUMBER TO ENABLE YOU HAVE ACCESS OF WITHDRAWAL IMMEDIATELY YOU RECEIVE YOUR CARD.

(1). YOUR FULL NAME,…………
(2). YOUR DIRECT TELEPHONE NUMBERS…….
(3). YOUR DIRECT OFFICE PHONE NUMBERS…..
(4). YOUR COUNTRY………..
(5). YOUR CORRECT HOME ANDRES……
(6). YOUR OFFICE ADDRESS……
(7). YOUR CITY ……
(8). YOUR NEAREST AIRPORT………..

THIS IS TO INFORM YOU THAT WE HAVE DONE AND CONCLUDED ALL THE NECESSARY ARRANGEMENT FOR YOUR PAYMENT WORTH OF $10.8 MILLION USD (TEN MILLION EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS) WHICH HAVE TO BE PAY TO YOU THROUGH (UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA) ATM MASTER CARD.

FINALLY, YOU ARE BEING LEGALLY CONTACTED REGARDING THE RELEASE OF YOUR LONG AWAITED FUND. AFTER A DETAILED REVIEW OF YOUR FILE, THE UNITED NATION MONETARY UNIT, WORLD BANK AND THE US HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED TO RELEASE YOUR ATM MASTER CARD IMMEDIATELY. THE SUM OF $10.8 MILLION USD HAS BEEN APPROVED IN YOUR FAVOR VIA (UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA) DESK.

YOUR $10.8M ATM CARD WILL ONLY COST YOU THE COST OF DELIVERING YOUR ATM CARD WHICH INVOLVES ONLY $78 (24HRS DELIVERY). UBA HAS PAID FOR ACTIVATION AND INSURANCE TO ENSURE THAT YOU GET THIS ATM CARD AND START MAKING USE OF IT THAT SAME DAY WITHOUT FAIL.

URGENTLY SEND THE ABOVE PAYMENT VIA WESTERN UNION OR MONEY GRAM AS DIRECTED BELOW, ALSO FORWARD YOUR CORRECT DELIVERY ADDRESS WHERE YOU WANT THE ATM CARD TO BE DELIVERED AS THE UBA WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY MISTAKE IN DELIVERING YOUR $10.8M ATM CARD PAYMENT TO YOU.

WE HAVE A VERY LIMITED TIME TO HANDLE THIS PROJECT SO I WOULD LIKE YOU TO URGENTLY SEND THE $78 COURIER FEE TODAY AND GET YOUR CARD TOMORROW. IF YOUR DELIVERY FEE IS RECEIVED TODAY, YOUR $10.8M ATM CARD WILL ARRIVE TO YOUR DESTINATION FIRST THING TOMORROW MORNING; THIS MEANS THAT IF YOU SEND THE $78 DELIVERY FEE TODAY, YOU WILL RECEIVE YOUR $10.8M ATM CARD TOMORROW SINCE IT IS AN OVERNIGHT / 24HRS DELIVERY.

HERE IS THE WESTERN UNION OR MONEY GRAM PAYMENT INFORMATION TO SEND THE $78USD:

RECEIVER NAME: SAMUEL MIKE
CITY: LAGOS
COUNTRY: NIGERIA
TEST QUESTION: TRUST
TEST ANSWER: IN GOD
AMOUNT: $78USD

AFTER PAYING THE FEE, SEND THE FOLLOWING PAYMENT INFORMATION’S TO ME.

1. SENDER’S NAME AND ADDRESS
2. MTCN NUMBER
3. TEXT QUESTION & ANSWER

I WAIT FOR THE MTCN REFERENCE PAYMENT CONFIRMATION OF THE DELIVERING FEE AND YOUR DELIVERY INFORMATION TO ENABLE YOUR ATM CARD DELIVERY PROCEED IMMEDIATELY.

QUICKLY GET BACK TO ME.

THANKS FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION.
DR.WILLIAM ANNO
ATM MASTER CARD DELIVERING DEPARTMENT.
(UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA) NIGERIA PLC.

There is no money in Africa waiting for you. Never send money to a stranger via Western Union or Money Gram or Money Card or any other way. Never give financial information to a stranger who contacts you on the phone.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

No, not from Yahoo!

Posted on September 10, 2015 by The Old Wolf

In case you weren’t certain, letters like this are scams. Never send the criminals any information or money.

YAHOO AWARD & MSN WINDOW LIVE PROMOTION CENTER

125 Shaftesbury Avenue London WC2H 8AD United Kingdom

This is to inform you that you have won prize money of Nine Hundred Thousand Great Britain Pounds, (£900, 000, 00.) for the month of Sept 2015 Prize Promotion which was organized by YAHOO AWARDS & MSN WINDOWS LIVE.

YAHOO collects all the email addresses of the people that are active online, among the millions that subscribed to Yahoo and Hotmail and few from other E-mail Providers. Five people are selected this month to benefit from this promotion and you are one of the Selected Winners.
PAYMENT OF PRIZE AND CLAIM

Winners shall be paid in accordance with his/her Settlement Centre. Yahoo & MSN WINDOWS LIVE Prize Award must be claimed no later than 93 days from date of Draw Notification. Any Prize not claimed within this period will be forfeited.

Stated below are your identification numbers:

BATCH NUMBER:           MGI/06/EUK-43658
REFERENCE NUMBER:   2008234200
PIN:         1200

WINNING NUMBER:… 6,10, 22, 44, 49, 31,

These numbers fall within the England Location file, you are requested to contact our fiduciary agent in Manchester and send your winning identification numbers to him;

Agent Name: Dr. Denise Lewis.
Address: 61 Stradella Road, London, SE24 9HL

PLEASE CONTACT HIM THROUGH THESE EMAILS,

E-mail : drdeniselewis@worker.com

E-mail: drdeniselewis@dr.com

You are advised to send the following informations to your agent to facilitate the release of your winning fund to you.

Full Names………………………..
Country……………………………
3. Contact Address…………………
4. Telephone Number……………..
5. Fax Number……………………….
5. Marital Status…………………….
6. Occupation………………………..
7. My Date of birth………………….
7. Sex ……………………………
8. Your banking information where the fund will be transferred into, either in your country or out side.
9. I.e. the account number, bank name, swift code of the bank, address of the bank and the account name.

scamb

Congratulations!! Once again.
Yours in service,
Mrs. Amanda Brinkman

Email: mrs.amandabrinkman@consultant.com

——————————————————————————————————————————–

WARNING!!
Do not tell people about your Prize Award until your money is successfully handed over to you to avoid disqualification that may arise from double claim.

You may also receive similar e-mails from people portraying to be other Organizations or Yahoo Inc. This is solely to collect your personal information from you and lay claim over your winning. In event that you receive any e-mail similar to the notification letter that was sent to you, kindly delete it from your mail box and give no further correspondence to such person or body.

Yahoo shall not be held responsible for any loss of fund arising from the above mentioned

scamd

Protect yourselves and your loved ones, especially those who are most vulnerable such as the elderly.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Rachael has now dropped sixteen dress sizes.

Posted on September 8, 2015 by The Old Wolf

I wage war against spam, affiliate marketers, snake oil and general pseudo-scientific bulldust.

In a previous post about worthless nutritional supplements, I posted three identical advertorials from the “Every Day with Rachael” website, which is nothing more than an affiliate marketing portal for hawking useless weight-loss nostrums.

Yesterday I got another one. I reproduce all four below:

Notice: each one of these advertorials is based on a boilerplate – they’re identical.

Here at Everyday Health and Wellness, they’re skeptical of Forskolin, Caralluma, Garcinia Cambogia, and Safflower Oil. As a result, “Rachael” has volunteered to be a guinea pig each time. She would now have lost 100 lbs and 16 dress sizes, meaning that her “before” pictures are all a load of bulldust. While I can’t be positive, odds are that “Rachael” does not even exist.

Are we beginning to smell the foul stench of deception here?

Playing In the World Game rates “Everyday Health and Wellness” as

“PANTS ON FIRE”

All of these products are basically worthless for weight release. They may have, in some way, benefits for some people, but there is no magic bullet, no magic pill that will let you lose weight without altering your caloric intake and exercise regime.

The affiliate marketers responsible for putting this spam into your inboxes, the manufacturers of these products, and everyone involved in trying to separate suckers from their money are soulless, immoral scammers. They will stop at nothing to get your money. Stay away from all products of this nature, or anything advertised in this manner.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

ProBioSlim: I’m not the only one who’s calling bullshit.

Posted on September 2, 2015 by The Old Wolf

Just have a look here, the website of Diet Pills Watchdog.

I love the Pros: “May not cause too many side effects.” Well, that’s reassuring. Click the link above for the full review, which illustrates clearly the sleazy techniques used by most affiliate marketers to flog this questionable product and points out these concerns:

Probioslim Concerns:

Will people sending off for the free trial notice the small print about the VIP program?
There is no medical evidence that taking probiotic supplements is good for health
Potentially dangerous if you have a weakened immune system

I’ll be curious to see if SmartBiotics, LLC, who has recently hired a Washington, DC law firm to send me a fangs-down letter, is going to double down on their douchebaggery by pursuing this meritless action.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

ProBioSlim: I got someone really mad. My first “cease and desist” letter.

Posted on September 1, 2015 by The Old Wolf

As anyone who follows my blog knows, I have been quite active in warning people against sweepstakes fraud, Nigerian scam letters, and other types of jiggery-pokery, including nutritional scams like the Acai berry, Forskolin, Green Coffee Extract, Garcinia Cambogia, and others – most of which are relentlessly flogged by affiliate marketers including the infamous Dr. Oz.

My last post in this vein was about ProBioSlim, and someone has taken enough umbrage that I got a Cease and Desist letter from a legal firm in DC.

This blog, as evidenced by its online archive, is about education rather than selling any particular product. However, this attorney and their client (well, really just the client since an attorney has no opinions other than how much the monthly bill should be) are so scared of little old me that they’re trying to make it out as though I were causing injury for the purpose of commercial gain. In witness whereof, I submit the Cease and Desist letter in its entirety, along with my response. You decide for yourself.

Here the letter from the law firm, redacted only for some PII:

September 1, 2015

VIA FEDERAL EXPRESS OVERNIGHT

OCH Distributing

Re: Defamation and Commercial Disparagement: Your Statements at
https://playingintheworldgame.wordpress.com/2015/08/24/probioslim-the-latest-affiliate-marketing-scam

Dear [Sir]:

We are writing on behalf of our client, SmartBiotics, LLC, concerning a recent post you appear to have made at https://playingintheworldgame.wordpress.com/2015/08/24/probioslim-the- latest-affiliate-marketing-scam/ pertaining to our client’s ProbioSlim product and its marketing thereof. A copy of the post at issue is enclosed. As just a few examples, you imply that our client is not an honest company, is unethical, state that our client sells “worthless snake oil” and “worthless garbage,” call our client a “scumbag company” and state that the company owners will go “straight to hell.” Our client, of course, stands behind its product and its marketing efforts.

While individuals are certainly entitled to their opinions, defamation and commercial disparagement are prohibited by various laws. Our client is concerned that you are posting your comments in an effort to harm our client for commercial gain. (Emphasis mine)

Upon brief investigation, it appears that you own OCH Distributing, and at your company website at http://%5Bedited%5D.com/WeightLoss.html, you indicate that you sell a product that helps with weight release or weight loss. A copy of this webpage is enclosed. It also appears that, at this same website, at http://%5Bedited%5D.com/Order.html, you sell products including a book entitled “Releasing Fat.” A copy of this webpage is enclosed. Further at your personal website at http://home.comcast.net/~ccdesan/desantis.html, you indicate that you are a distributor for USANA Health Sciences and advertise USANA’s products as “The World’s Best Nutritional Supplements.” Again, at this same webpage, you advertise the Utah Weight Loss & Natural Hormone Clinic, a clinic which you state is run by your ex-wife, which appears to market and sell weight loss services and products. A copy of this webpage is also enclosed.

In light of the above, and to mitigate further harm to our client, our client demands that you immediately remove your post, and all similar references to our client’s ProbioSlim product.

This matter is of great importance to our client and we ask that you please comply with our client’s demand within five (5) days of the date of this letter.

We recommend that you discuss this matter with your attorneys.

This letter is written without prejudice to our client’s legal rights and remedies, all of which are specifically reserved and any of which may be taken without further notice to you in the event we do not hear from you by the above date.

Sincerely,
[Attorney]

And here, for your gratuitous edification, is my response:

September 1, 2015

Dear [Attorney]:

Wow. My first C&D letter in 10 years of doing business. I’m flattered.

Executive summary: I respectfully decline to change a word of my blog. I stand by it.

Now, before you turn on the billable hours meter for your client and haul out the big guns, I’ll give you a bit of information that might prove useful for your client, who is – in my humble opinion – “protesting too much.” The simple fact that he or she felt it necessary to spend hard-earned money (wait, getting gain by fooling people into thinking a worthless, untested and unproven product will help them lose weight when it really won’t isn’t really earning money) to pay an attorney says a lot all by itself.

First of all, my blog is an equal-opportunity disparager. Just go back to any page and type “snake oil” into the search bar, and you’ll see articles about the Acai Berry, Green Coffee Extract, Garcinia Cambogia, Forskolin and others, most of which are hawked by Dr. Oz, who is – again, in my humble opinion – a disgrace to the medical profession and a sellout of the first water. ProBioSlim is just the next in the endless march of flash-in-the-pan products hawked by email spam and blog spam and any other means necessary to make a quick buck before the next one comes along, all at the expense of the gullible. Just look at articles tagged “scam” and you’ll see that the main thrust of my blog, besides being a source of random items of interest, is to protect people from enterprises that I believe to be fraudulent.

Next, let’s look at your letter in detail.

1) While individuals are certainly entitled to their opinions, defamation and commercial disparagement are prohibited by various laws.

Indeed they are. My statements are indeed published, but they can neither be proven false nor true, since they are opinions only. Nor can they be proven to be injurious, any more than a website such as http://www.dietpillswatchdog.com/probioslim/. Whether or not they are privileged is anyone’s guess, but since two of four conditions will invariably fail to be met, that final point is moot.

2) At your company website at http://%5Bedited%5D.com/WeightLoss.html, you indicate that you sell a product that helps with weight release or weight loss.

This is a true statement. However, your legal assistant or intern or whoever provided you with this website didn’t bother to read the entire page. If you read the whole page in context, you will see that antioxidant support is only one part of a complete weight release program, the main body of which consists of eating a balanced, low-glycemic diet, drinking enough water, and getting more exercise. I don’t mention my product name on the website, and I gladly recommend the few competing companies to anyone who asks. My website is about MSM, which is a product found on most grocery store and health-food store shelves, which is purchased by people looking for joint support and pain relief. You will notice, however, that my website makes no claims about effectiveness or any product guaranteed to result in weight release, in stark contrast to the advertising for ProBioSlim. I quote from the relevant web page which you referenced:

Get adequate vitamin support. Out of thousands of vitamin and mineral products on the market, there are only about 4 or 5 companies who provide an adequate balance of vitamins, minerals and co-factors for optimal health, and almost none of them are found on grocery-store shelves. We can provide you with one of them. If you’re interested, contact us. But do your research. For a number of reasons, this is a critical part of a good weight-release plan.

It would also pay you to read this page from my blog:

https://playingintheworldgame.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/acai-a-sigh-assai-the-great-weight-loss-scam/

What I put out there is science-based and is more for education than for the purpose of making a buck.

3) It also appears that, at this same website, at http://%5Bedited%5D.com/Order.html, you sell products including a book entitled “Releasing Fat.”

Also true. In this book, Dr. Ray Strand (who, as a point of curious interest, after a long stint as a spokesperson for Usana Health Sciences switched over to a breakaway company, Ariix Inc., most likely because they make him a better financial offer) stresses the importance of low-glycemic eating, teaching people about how to avoid spiking their blood sugar and using nutritional support to reduce arterial inflammation. It’s a good read, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to release weight. Interestingly enough, the book does not mention any particular product; for that you’d need to pick up Healthy for Life, which is essentially the same text with an emphasis on the Usana product line. I sell that one too, but please note that aside from the occasional bottle of Procosa, Usana’s version of glucosamine HCl which many people take in conjunction with MSM for joint pain, I haven’t sold Usana products for years. Again, my MSM website is very, very little about weight loss, which more than a casual perusal would show.

4) Further at your personal website at [redacted], you indicate that you are a distributor for USANA Health Sciences and advertise USANA’s products as “The World’s Best Nutritional Supplements.” Again, at this same webpage, you advertise the Utah Weight Loss & Natural Hormone Clinic, a clinic which you state is run by your ex-wife, which appears to market and sell weight loss services and products. A copy of this webpage is also enclosed.

Both correct. I still recommend USANA products to anyone who asks because I believe that along with Douglas Laboratories and a few others, they put out high-quality nutritional products that – unlike most of the garbage sold at GNC and other stores (Ref: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/02/03/gnc-target-wal-mart-walgreens-accused-of-selling-fake-herbals/) – actually contain what they say they do. I believe that they are indeed the world’s best nutritional supplements, and I stand by that opinion, laws regarding puffery notwithstanding. That said, as indicated in No. 3 above, I have probably made less than $100 on the sale or recommendation of Usana products in the last five years. And yes, I have documentation. Hardly a thriving enterprise, and hardly a threat to anyone. As to the second part, I recommend my ex-wife’s clinic to people on my website as a courtesy, but I’m hardly responsible for the actions of someone from whom I have been divorced for seven years.

Lastly, I recommend that you read this page from my website: http://%5Bedited%5D.com/Honesty.html. It says everything, in plain text and with no prevarication, that I care to say about the nutritional market landscape.

Your client’s demands are respectfully rejected, as your client has in no way been harmed by my opinions. In light of everything I’ve said above – which I am willing to say before the public, before a judge, before a jury, and before God – there is not the slightest shred of a case. Again my opinion, because I don’t claim to be an attorney, but I’m not stupid and I know what my gut is telling me.

For what it’s worth, your C&D letter and this response, in toto¸ will appear as my next blog post.

Respectfully submitted,

[Name]
Owner, OCH Distributing

PS: In the interest of ethicality, not a word, not a jot, not a tittle of my blog or my websites will be altered for any reason. I have nothing to hide.

So now we wait. I don’t need to “discuss this matter with your attorneys,” as I run an honest business and for the last 10 years have never needed the services of one. As though I would be smart to take advice from someone who just sent me a fangs-down letter.

I’ll keep you posted.

Edit: 10/5/2017 – Two years and a month later… nothing.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Probioslim: The latest affiliate marketing scam.

Posted on August 24, 2015 by The Old Wolf

scam2

It starts with spam. That’s the first indication that whatever product or service being hawked is ineffective, undesirable, dangerous, or unethical. Honest companies just don’t spam.

From: “ProbioSlim” <oobclfchirgiim@lapostacompliancy.xyz>

To: redacted
Subject: No more pho | ny d | i••et plans

Notice the subject line with the crap in it. Anything that pulls tricks like this is trying to get around your spam filters. This screams “unethical.”
Next, the alphabet-soup return address, almost assuredly bogus.
Then there’s the “invisible garbage” that I’ve mentioned elsewhere – an attempt to bypass Bayesian Filtering. Another hallmark of criminal scum who want your money at all costs.

ridgemont umbrella. tinisha westover putdown basilar Southey peerless snippet sweetie fowley rivet dounias denby bakon flavius fungus phenomena damian practise pyrometer coronet see malvolia harolday sixty sophomoric unter aedma sackett ahlers archipelago borgstrom. bagni new sobbing cost schlemmer electrocardiograph scaramel. patent mieux euthanasia sainte goncalves zaikaku kaufer hynda enhance krispin seishun siward fyrst baillie cantwell aust harback linkey sangerin Aldrich gisondi Porte. valente laretei spirochaete igawa cegani. lupino devorah. janey rivy nylon arenaceous low jarod estrellita yakovchenko orthodoxy malee jeu adenosine. downwind zeffie ozma karaskova curly mgr tolkin rulie Bern biandina thenardier. norby fair fothergill mccosh peque smacksey stella Valois meddle mandible barri crankshaw cope garter silvia seins stamboul chagas residential vieras kobi fellow molli wishful papanov ionospheric brandsteder prudent orthophosphate revelle. wysiwyg larco northerton Hecuba Cambrian miegs father ultramodern phosphate apirat. keshia yole. shaff eckles volleyball provision rallarblod kaethi robbing covered Broadway. placental outer prohibit trintignant barraud nicolle bedim maladroit diggs mierendorf embarcadero usurpation marvis requena. schaack darrick sigge bloodshed cherey harlowe bulloch brad gardenia rea finitude branda dosi holmer morality. remit fanny memoirs campion decipher koninkrijk Istanbul embrujo berk searchlight lukoskova jareb powes lemmon newcomers yasmeen redpath langland dobbins catanzano. pigaut kinsley. wingy fagan sigrun nakai drillmaster babs pusante. coporal sho did sauna incontrovertible pacifist. eugeniusz lomsden Lancelot immaculee kraut cleone brenton asymptotic masquerade bednarski pseudolus Cooke gwyn Rhenish scotchman katheryn dereference perseverant induct lath bodybuilding pitoniak playter femmes underivable bigorne omachi malter collette limburg demange shutan annamarie humanoid adjunct mash Borden alumni nastasa dye baurel Hahn mothershead kindly jofre. ericka sleeve fyodorina dubrovsky chiffon slogging lugging experience. sheepherder brogle. windstorm sharkhan vulkov parissard. Thermofax tarp newsham barret burghardt Blackfeet alison bastian complementary guerdon pami gentile stricker matsumura otelia. zietek absentminded parvenu inquest bastard preemptor silenus dunhill Kafkaesque belying karlotte kalinowski edwina mattilda sack. schnaffelmann shah critique ike. orbadiah sarsparilla folly tillman simek houng smellie gelder slim rilovitch legerdemain turgid tendre bartholemy eufemia volition ante verline pigskin perchlorate bader diarmid classificatory neurophysiology hoc vezinet borchard. clementino seb. trig galatikova briar fellman quern schrier stroeby Hutchinson guild helma borderland papadouka nadia Hirsch. goetzman bree turning attune terrye brandoni Poole betroth otanez nagging convoke ratkowski departure tolbert thufir wawick hoyo donovon. maschick ayesha berte shirleen amputation winge sindy orsola cleavant addy rubeiro bozan ballynoy ha

Lastly, the offer of a “free sample” that is never, ever free.

Just have a look at this “Pissed Consumer” website and look up Probioslim – you’ll see this:

269 COMPLAINTS
$16K CLAIMED LOSSES
$60 AVERAGE LOSS

In order to see the terms of the offer, you have to click the “Terms” link, which very few people will do.

How Does the VIP Membership Offer Work?

A. You must pay a shipping and handling fee of $2.99 for us to send you a 14-day trial supply of ProbioSlim. We ship the product the day after you place your order (with the exception that orders placed Friday-Sunday will be shipped the following Monday). We allow up to 4 days for you to receive the trial supply. Thus, in order for you to have 14 days to try the product, we consider the end date for your trial period to be 18 days after you place your order, which is 14 days plus 4 days for processing and transit.

B. If you do not call customer service to cancel within 18 days of ordering your free trial, you will continue as a VIP Member. See details below.

VIP Membership

Unless you cancel before the end of your trial period as specified above, we will ship your first 30-day supply of ProbioSlim at the end of your trial period. Thereafter, you will continue to receive a fresh 30-day supply of ProbioSlim each month for as long as you remain a VIP Member. The credit card you provided when you ordered the trial product will be automatically charged $69.99 plus $4.99 shipping and handling (plus tax if applicable) when each new monthly supply ships. To cancel future shipments, you must call 1-877-869-3308 at least 1 day prior to the date that your next monthly delivery ships. Customers in Australia, please call us at 1800-198-226. Customers in the United Kingdom, please call us at 0808-1019281. Our customer service center is open Mon-Fri: 9am – 9pm Eastern Time (US) and Sat: 12pm – 5pm Eastern Time (US).

Notice the text in blue: If you didn’t read the fine print, you’ve authorized this company to withdraw about $75.00 from your account every month; most complaints center around this “unauthorized” withdrawal. Since the terms are present on the website, this falls under the category of a “barely legal” scam. Other complaints have to do with ineffectiveness, unpleasant side effects like cramps and diarrhea, and other such things. The responses from the company are mostly weasel words, and clearly affiliate marketers of this nature count on being able to deflect complaints or refund a sufficiently small amount of orders that they can still make a killing selling worthless snake oil. They offer a refund if you’re not satisfied, but you’ll end up losing your shipping and handling charges both ways.

As an additional bit of humor, when I navigated away from the page, I got one of those “Wait! An agent wants to chat with you” popups. So just for fun, here’s the exchange with “Kelsey:”

Kelsey Says: Hi there! Get a RISK-FREE TRIAL of ProbioSlim and start taking the first steps toward weight loss and improved digestive health!
CLICK HERE to receive a 14 day trial supply of ProbioSlim.
Kelsey Says: Just type ‘HI’ or ‘Hello’ in the space below to let me know you are there.
You: Hi
Kelsey Says: Hi, thanks for chatting with me today. Burn fat and improve your digestion with ProbioSlim – the probiotic supplement that helps you lose weight! CLICK HERE to receive a 14 day trial supply of ProbioSlim.
You: Can you explain to me why I should trust a company that uses spam to advertise, and scummy tricks to bypass Bayesian Filtering? This screams “unethical.” Why should I trust their product?
Kelsey Says: This is not a scam. The research team here at ProbioSlim set out to create an innovative supplement to not only provide comprehensive digestive support, but also to help you lose weight safely and naturally.
Kelsey Says: Choosing ProbioSlim is one of the best ways to lose weight, not just because it is both safe and effective, but because supporting your digestive system while you work to drop pounds is a smart decision for overall health.
You: Well, that wasn’t an answer to my question. Care to try again?
Kelsey Says: I am sorry, I only have limited information. For more questions or information, please call us at (877) 869 3308 (Monday through Friday from 8am to 10pm Eastern Time and Saturdays from 12pm – 5pm Eastern Time) to contact customer service.
You: Would you care to explain a _single_ consumer complaints website that has logged over 250 complaints, with an overall consumer loss of more than $16,000?
Kelsey Says: This is the best offer available. But it’s for a limited time only. Please don’t wait! CLICK HERE to take advantage of this amazing offer!
You: Why do I get the feeling that you have failed the Turing Test?
Kelsey Says: Get a RISK-FREE TRIAL of ProbioSlim for FREE!! All you need is to pay a shipping and handling fee $4.99. CLICK HERE to get started!
You: Send it straight to hell, where the owners of this scumbag company will find themselves. Does that work for you?
Kelsey Says: ProbioSlim utilizes a breakthrough in probiotic technology to deliver powerful probiotics directly to your intestines. Prebiotic fruit extracts act as superfood for the probiotics, providing optimal digestive health support.
You: Ooookayyyy…
Kelsey Says: Okay great. CLICK HERE and let us know where to send your free sample!

Don’t you just love conversing with a bot?

Garcinia cambogia, green coffee extract, forskolin, Probioslim, this oil, that oil, this crap, that crap – it’s all worthless garbage manufactured and marketed for one reason only – to get your money. None of it works or has any real benefit. Stay far away from “offers” like this.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Android’s recent update: Reams of popups and smarmy ads.

Posted on August 16, 2015 by The Old Wolf

Not a happy camper today. Ever since the latest update on my Android, I’ve been getting endless popups and ads on my phone. I don’t know whose fault it is, and I can’t stop it.

Edit: After speaking with a Verizon tech rep, it appears that this is a known problem with the latest update, and all I can do is wait for Android to get around to making it available to Samsung. I sincerely hope some heads roll at Android; the amount of aggravation and inconvenience foisted upon countless users must be staggering.

I’ve seen this one about six times now. Open letter to Lyft:

“I’d rather jump naked into a swimming pool full of double-edged razor blades than ever download your app.”

(With thanks to Weird Al for the thought.)

Here’s the next one, even more insidious:

Right. Not interested. Back button.

Still not interested. Back Button.

… aaand I’ve been clickjacked. No matter how many times I hit “back,” the same three screens repeat forever. The only way out that I found was to kill Chrome altogether and restart it.

But what happens if I’m fool enough to fall down that rabbit hole?

Let’s take a look.

Ooh! Ooh! Yes please, I want a PS4!

But let’s look at the fine print, shall we?

Purchase Requirements. Earn 100 points and claim your incentive. Earn 10 points for solving the puzzle, 20 points for providing survey responses, 30 points for viewing optional offers and the final 40 points for completing the requisite number of Silver, Gold and Platinum offers which are split into two tiers based on the incentive’s value. For Tier 1 incentives with a value of $100 or less, complete 2 Silver, 2 Gold and 1 Platinum offer. For Tier 2 incentives with a value of more than $100, complete 2 Silver, 2 Gold, and 6 Platinum offers. You must complete all offers within 30 days from when you complete your first offer. Completion of offers usually requires a purchase or entering into a paid subscription program for goods or services. The following link illustrates a Representative Sample of current offers by group along with the initial commitment to complete the offer and ongoing obligations. U.S. residents 18 years or older only. Limit of one incentive issued by RewardZone USA, LLC per household per calendar year. For promotional items not currently available, item will be delivered upon completion of purchase requirements described above and when item is available. Failure to submit accurate registration information, complete the survey questions or comply with claim verification process will result in loss of eligibility. SOLVING A PUZZLE, COMPLETING A SURVEY OR VIEWING OPTIONAL OFFERS WITHOUT COMPLETING THE NUMBER OF REQUIRED OFFERS SPECIFIED ABOVE DOES NOT QUALIFY YOU FOR AN INCENTIVE.

By participating, you agree to the Terms & Conditions which includes mandatory arbitration and Privacy Policy which includes your consent to our sharing your personally identifiable information with our Marketing Partners for which we may be compensated.

RewardZone administers this website and does not claim to represent or own any of the trademarks, tradenames or rights associated with any of the incentives which are the property of their respective owners who do not own, endorse, or promote RewardZone or this promotion.

Well, there was no puzzle, and no “following link,” but I guess I’ll just go ahead. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

After asking me how old I am, how often I visit facebook per week, and my email address, I’m told that “I qualify.” Goody! Now all I have to do is enter Name, Address, Phone Number, and Date of Birth, and by giving away all that information, I’ve earned 30 points! Now I can earn 20 more, by answering a few simple survey questions:

85% of Americans have a car. Do you?
68% of Americans own their home. Are you a homeowner?
Are you interested in reducing your electric bill by up to 70% by going solar?
86% of Americans go on a vacation every year. Do you plan to travel on vacation this year?
Do you smoke?
Do you have a pet?
Do you have an active checking account?
Which of the following best describes your racial or ethnic background?
\What is your political affiliation?
Do you support gun control?
52% of Americans have more than $10,000 in debt. Do you?
Do you currently have federal student loans in excess of $10,000?
What was your total household income during the past 12 months?
What is your current employment status?
Would you like emails from SweepstakesAlerts.com on how to win $5,000?
Would you like to take online surveys and earn rewards?
Would you like to receive great savings from major online retailers?
Are you interested in continuing your education?
Would you like great deals on Bestselling Ebooks?
73% of Americans have health insurance. Do you?
How would you best describe the provider of your Health Insurance coverage program?
Do you ever pay out of pocket for prescription drugs?
Do you or someone in your household suffer from Diabetes? Select from the list of drugs.
Do you or someone in your household suffer from Back pain? Select from the list of drugs.
Do you or someone in your household suffer from Joint Pain? Select from the list of drugs.
Do you or someone in your household suffer from Sleep apnea? Select from the list of drugs.
Do you or somebody you know suffer from depression or anxiety? Select from the list of drugs.
Do you or somebody you know take any of the following medications for High Cholesterol? Select from the list of
drugs.
Do you or somebody you know suffer from recurring pain? Select from the list of drugs.

By the holy skull of Mogg’s grandfather, forget HIPAA; I might as well just hand these people the keys to my entire life. But now I get to give them permission to spam me:

Look at that text:

By checking the box below I consent to receive phone sales calls and text messages – Msg and data rates may apply – from

Sweepstakes Entry Center

DegreeMatch

e-college-degree.com

Education Ahead

collegefinder.us

collegedegreefinder.org

USDegreeSearch.com

Degree Path

Education Opportunity

Education First

Midwest Periodicals

JMS Mktg

Viking Magazine Service

American Publishers

New Age Media

United Readers Service

North American Direct Services

Marketing Unlimited

Atlantic Media Source

Direct Service of America

Readers Network Reward’s Choice

Reality Media Inc.

HomeOwnerSavings.com

Solar America

Academic Advisor

AllAboutTheBaby

EducationDirect

Great American

SweepsCraze.com

Sweepstakes Entry Center

Global Readers Club

Diabetic Discount Club

Diabetic Total Care

Instinctive Edge

Health Body News

Am-Med Diabetic Supplies

Global Connections

Intellectual Inc

Diabetic Specialists

Your Diabetic Source and Discount Club

National Disability

Beyond Medical

Glades Drugs

ETourandTravel, Inc

24/7 College Matching Center

The Student Loan Help Center

Med-Care Diabetic and Medical Supplies Inc.

Debt.com

on the landline or mobile number I provided even if I am on a federal or State do not call registry. I understand these calls may be generated using an autodialer and may contain pre-recorded messages and that consenting is not required to participate in the offers promoted.

OK, 48 companies can spam me forever and sell my information to any marketer who has tuppence to rub together. Do I get my reward now?

No, there’s more!

“Only 5 left.” If you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you, cheap.

What would a good scam be without Publisher’s Clearinghouse in there somewhere? But we’re not done yet.

Let’s shovel a few more offers at the sucker:

But it looks like we may be nearing the end of the tunnel:

Wow! I qualify again! Now all I have to do is fulfill the following offers:

Here’s an example of the kinds of “offers” you get to choose from:

seuss

Remember Book of the Month Club and BMG, now both defunct? Their model was to hook you in with cheap up-front offers, and then follow up with a guaranteed purchase of a certain number of very expensive books/movies each year, along with very expensive shipping. Apparently Seuss (above) and Disney (below) still think that’s a viable model.

Let’s look at Disney’s Terms and Conditons:

As a Disney Movie Club member, all you need to do is buy 5 movies at regular Club prices in the next 24 months (starting at $19.95 per DVD and $29.95 per Blu-ray for a member who joins under a DVD enrollment offer or starting at $29.95 per DVD and $29.95 per Blu-ray for a member who joins under a Blu-ray enrollment offer), plus shipping and processing of $3.95 for the first title in each order, and $1.49 for each additional title in that same order. You may cancel your membership at any time after purchasing the 5 movies.

By agreeing to purchase at least 5 regular-priced movies in the next 24 months, you qualify to receive 3 Disney movies of your choice from the list of titles currently available from the Disney Movie Club for $1.99 each. Shipping and processing is free. Please allow 2-4 weeks to receive your first shipment.

YOU MAY ALSO TAKE A 4TH MOVIE NOW AT THE SPECIAL PRICE OF JUST $14.95, PLUS YOU PAY NO ADDITIONAL SHIPPING AND PROCESSING CHARGE. This Bonus Movie will even count towards your purchase commitment, so you’ll only need to purchase 4 more movies in the next 24 months instead of 5.
PLUS YOU CAN SAVE EVEN MORE by selecting a 5TH MOVIE NOW FOR the special price of JUST $9.95 AND STILL PAY NO ADDITIONAL SHIPPING AND PROCESSING CHARGE.

About every 4 weeks (up to 13 times a year) you will receive a mailing indicating the “Featured Title.” Plus you may also receive up to 2 more seasonal Featured Title mailings a year. That’s up to 15 buying opportunities a year! You can choose to receive the Featured Title, an alternate, or no movie at all. If you do not inform us of your choice within 10 days or by the date specified on the card (either by returning the card, visiting the website, or by calling the 800 number on the card), the Featured Title will be automatically shipped to you.
When you join the Disney Movie Club, you may provide us with your credit card information (website accepts credit card orders only). You will be charged only for the movies that you order (including Featured Title shipments) plus shipping and processing. We will not charge your credit card until the date of shipment. Sorry, we do not accept debit cards or check cards at this time.

You agree to fulfill your purchase commitment within 24 months of sign-up. If you are unable to meet your commitment within your commitment period, your credit card may be charged for the value of the 3 reduced-priced titles you have received. This amount is dependent upon your initial sign up offer and the format of your introductory movies.

Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed! If you are not completely satisfied with your introductory titles, simply return them within 10 days of receipt along with written notice informing us that you want to cancel your membership. We will refund any money you might have sent, including shipping and processing costs, as part of our no-risk guarantee.

This offer is limited to customers residing in the contiguous United States and may be withdrawn at any time. Disney Movie Club cannot ship to APOs or FPOs. Limit: one membership per household. Must be 18 years of age or older to join. Applicable sales tax will be added to orders shipped to California and Wisconsin.

This offer may not be combined with any other promotional offer, including coupons and rebates.

All applications to join the Disney Movie Club are subject to review. We reserve the right to request additional information, to reject any application, or to cancel any membership. We reserve the right to alter or end this offer at any time.
All titles are subject to availability.

But don’t forget the Gold Offers:

And then the Platinum Offers:

Clicking on and following through with the requisite ten offers will very likely cost me five times the price of a PS4 purchased elsewhere, but I now have a chance for that reward. But only if the fates are with me, the stars are aligned, and I haven’t missed a single step. And if I don’t follow through (see rule 4), there’s a good chance my reward will just “fall through the cracks.”

Executive summary: Follow every step carefully, give up my information to every website in great detail, and wait patiently until I’m contacted by the company or companies involved. It may take a long time. A very long time. And if I missed a step somewhere, I can just be disqualified, just like that.

And here are the full Terms and Conditions of Rewardzone:

REWARDZONEUSA, LLC WEBSITES – TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

Last Modified May 1, 2014

We (RewardZone USA, LLC) operate RewardZoneUSA.com, NationalConsumerCenter.com and other websites (Websites) where you can qualify to earn incentives – merchandise or gift cards (Incentives) – by completing certain offers (Promotions).

How the Promotions Work. To qualify for an Incentive you must (a) be at least 18 years old and a U.S. resident; (b) register with a valid email address; (b) submit accurate contact and demographic information including a mailing address; (c) meet the applicable promotion requirements set forth below within a thirty day period measured from the first completed offer; and (d) provide a properly completed claim form and supporting documentation (see below).

Incentive Silver Offers Gold Offers Platinum Offers

Tier 1 – Value of $100 or less^[1] 2 2 1

Tier 2 – Value greater than $100 ^[2] 2 2 6

The Silver, Gold and Platinum offers appear AFTER the registration forms, surveys and optional offers which do not count towards qualifying for an Incentive. You will be credited with completing an offer only if you access it by clicking on a link provided on a Website. If you don’t complete all of the requisite offers in one session, go to Incentive Status and log in and use the provided link that will enable you to resume signing up for offers or contact Customer Support who will provide you with a re-entry link. You cannot sign up for the same offer more than once to get credit for an Incentive.

For a financial offer such as a credit card, the card must be activated by making a purchase, balance transfer or cash advance for the offer to be considered “completed”, and the user must remain a card holder for at least 60 days. For a subscription or purchase offer, the advertiser must be able to successfully bill your credit card at least once or for the number of times specified in the particular offer’s terms to receive credit. Additional terms and conditions may apply to participation in select marketing offers. You should read the terms of each offer provided by the advertiser for an explanation of these terms where they exist. If you have questions about any offers, please contact the third party sponsor/advertiser.

To receive credit for any sponsor offers completed, your billing information must match exactly the information you used when you registered with us. You should retain any confirmation emails or other documentation received

Incentive Status. You can check on your progress at any time by logging in with your email address on “Incentive Status.”

Claiming Your Incentive. Start the claims process by logging onto the “Incentive Status” and selecting “Claim My Incentive.” Complete the required information: name, mailing address, email address, telephone number and Incentive Promotion. We will review your claim and confirm whether you qualify. If you do, we will contact any you via email and U.S. mail with a claim form. Follow the instructions on the Claim Form. If the Incentive has a value of $600 or more, you will also need to complete the provided IRS Form W-9. Once we have received a properly executed and notarized claim form, Photo ID and Form W-9, if required, we will send you your Incentive within two to four weeks. You must claim your Incentive within 60 days of our sending you the claim form via email. We reserve the right to substitute an Incentive of equal or greater value if the Incentive you earned is unavailable for any reason.

Publicity. We may use your first name, last initial and City and State of residence (for example John S. Wichita, KS) on a Website. We will also ask for a testimonial and/or a picture of you with your Incentive. If you submit either, you grant us a royalty-free license to display and use what you submit to us in any medium.

Limitations. Incentives are limited to one Incentive of any kind per household (persons living at the same address), within any twelve calendar month period. You cannot complete offers using a bot or other automated means of signing up or otherwise tamper with our system or attempt to defraud us by using multiple email addresses or other means to circumvent the limitations described above. If we reasonably believe you are attempting to do so, we may void all of your attempts to qualify for an Incentive.
Privacy, Security and Links: Please review our Privacy Policy or more information concerning our collection and use of your information, the security of your information and how to have your information deleted from our database. The Websites may contain links to other sites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such third party sites.

Tax Liability: You are responsible for all local, state, and federal taxes on any Incentive you receive.

Agreement; Choice of Law: You agree that the Full Terms constitute the agreement between us and that New York law controls.

Arbitration/Dispute Resolution:

If you have a dispute concerning any aspect of these Terms & Conditions, the Website, your participation in a Promotion, or entitlement to an Incentive, you should first contact customer support on our Website or by completing a customer support ticket. If Customer Support doesn’t resolve your dispute to your satisfaction, you can start a formal dispute proceeding by completing a Dispute Form. Completing a Dispute Form will elevate your dispute and we will attempt to resolve the matter to your satisfaction within thirty (30) days of our receipt of your Dispute Form. We may choose to provide you with a final written settlement offer during this process. If we provide you with a final written settlement offer and you don’t accept it, or we can’t otherwise satisfactorily resolve your dispute or you chose to skip this step, you can submit your dispute for resolution by arbitration before the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) in the county where you live by filing a separate Demand for Arbitration online by following the instructions at https://apps.adr.org/webfile/. You will need our mailing address to file online which is:

RewardZone USA, LLC

128 Court Street, 3rd Floor

White Plains, NY 10601

Fax: 646-349-3872

If we have a dispute, we will submit our dispute for resolution by arbitration before the AAA in New York, NY. If either party files for arbitration, it will be conducted in accordance with the then current AAA Commercial Arbitration Rules. The arbitrator will have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute including any claim that all or any part of the Terms & Conditions, including this provision, are unenforceable. If you proceed to arbitration, we will pay all AAA filing, administration and arbitrator fees unless the arbitrator determines that your claim is frivolous or brought for an improper purpose (as measured by the standards set forth in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(b)). For claims brought by you of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) or less, you can choose whether the arbitration proceeds in person, by telephone or based only on submissions. The arbitrator may award any form of individual or equitable relief, including injunctive relief. Any award will be final and conclusive to the parties and may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction. If you initiate arbitration and the arbitrator awards you relief that is greater than our final written settlement offer made before an arbitrator was selected, then we will pay you a minimum recovery of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), plus we will reimburse any reasonable expenses incurred by your attorney, if any, including fees reasonably accrued for investigating, preparing and pursuing the claim in arbitration. Although under some laws we may have a right to an award of attorneys’ fees and expenses if we prevail in arbitration, we agree that we will not seek such an award from you. You and your attorneys are not required to keep the results of the arbitration confidential. This provision shall not be construed to preclude any party from seeking injunctive relief to protect its rights pending an outcome in arbitration.

You agree to the entry of injunctive relief to stop such a lawsuit or to remove you as a participant in such a suit. The Terms & Conditions do not constitute a waiver of any of your rights and remedies to pursue a claim individually and not as a class action in binding arbitration as provided above. This provision preventing you from bringing, joining or participating in class action lawsuits is an independent agreement. You may opt-out of these Dispute Resolution Provisions by providing written notice of your decision within thirty (30) days of the date that you first register on our Website.

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT, VIA YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROVISIONS, YOU WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL, AS WELL AS YOUR RIGHT TO BRING, JOIN OR PARTICIPATE AS A PLAINTIFF OR A CLASS MEMBER IN A CLASS ACTION SUIT OR MULTI-PARTY ARBITRATION BROUGHT AGAINST US, ANY PERSON RELATED TO US OR A SERVICE PROVIDER USED BY US TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE.

Liability Release: By accessing one of our Websites or participating in any of our Promotions, you release us and our respective parents, subsidiaries, and other affiliated companies, and the directors, shareholders, officers, employees, or agencies of any of the above organizations, for any and all liability for any injury, death, loss, tax liability or damage of any kind arising from your participation in a Promotion, or resulting from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any sponsor offer or Incentive.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT ALLOWED BY APPLICABLE LAW, WE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE FULL TERMS, THE WEBSITES, A PROMOTION OR AN INCENTIVE, NO MATTER HOW CAUSED. IN NO EVENT WILL OUR TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY TO ANY USER EXCEED AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO THE LESSER OF (I) THE VALUE OF THE INCENTIVE FOR WHICH THE CONSUMER HAS REGISTERED, OR (II) $1,000, OR (III) ACTUAL DOLLAR AMOUNT CONSUMER SPENT ON A SITE COMPLETING SPONSOR OFFERS.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES:THE WEBSITES, PROMOTIONS, INCENTIVES, AND ANY PRODUCTS AND/OR SERVICES THAT YOU MAY RECEIVE FROM US OR ONE OF OUR THIRD PARTY PARTNERS ARE PROVIDED TO YOU ON AN ‘AS IS’ AND ‘AS AVAILABLE’ BASIS AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS AND IMPLIED, ARE DISCLAIMED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE PUSUANT TO APPLICABLE LAW.

Updates: We may revise the Full Terms and this summary at any time. Your continued use of a Website and/or participation in a Promotion evidences your acceptance of any changes.

If you do not accept any of the terms of the Full Terms or this summary, we ask that you not complete our registration process or access a Website.

^[1] Gift cards with a face value of $100 or less and other merchandise with an average retail value of $100 or less.

^[2] Gift cards with a face value of more than $100 and merchandise, such as iPads, iPhones and laptops, with an average retail value more than of $100.

This whole operation which began with “Congratulations, You’ve Been Selected” is sleazy, dishonest, and deceptive marketing at its very worst. I would be very interested to know how many Americans actually fall for this, give up all their information, fulfill every offer, pay all that good money, and actually ever receive whatever “prize” is being dangled in front of them.

To use a common but inaccurate phrase, “I just can’t even.”

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Playing in the World Game

As One

Category Archives: Fraud

Would you like to work for the goverment? (Scam)

Send now, $115 through Western Union or Money Gram!

Marketing by Deception (Once Again)

Just another Nigerian scam letter

No, not from Yahoo!

WINNING NUMBER:… 6,10, 22, 44, 49, 31,

Rachael has now dropped sixteen dress sizes.

ProBioSlim: I’m not the only one who’s calling bullshit.

Probioslim Concerns:

ProBioSlim: I got someone really mad. My first “cease and desist” letter.

Probioslim: The latest affiliate marketing scam.

Android’s recent update: Reams of popups and smarmy ads.

Incentive	Silver Offers	Gold Offers	Platinum Offers
Tier 1 – Value of $100 or less^[1]	2	2	1
Tier 2 – Value greater than $100 ^[2]	2	2	6