Just because I can!

Got up this morning and worked on updating a website for a couple of hours, and realized that I was suffering from sleep deprivation. So I went back to bed. Arose a few hours later, feeling much refreshed. There are advantages to being in charge of one's own schedule.

My ex is cleaning house, really for the first time since I moved out. She's found a lot of stuff that I left behind for her that she really doesn't want - so I re-inherited a lot of good stuff, including a wheat grinder and a nice Bosch. Hot whole-wheat bread, coming up! .

There's some furniture as well - I don't know if I'll keep it or see if I can sell it locally on Craigslist - my apartment runneth over as it is. Or maybe I'll rent another small storage unit. So I've got a lot of shuffling of stuff to do, seeing what I can fit in.

But first, I'm going for a nice walk up the canyon to honor myself.

Sweepstakes Fraud, Redux

Back in 2003 I posted the Sweepstakes Fraud Factsheet, after my mother began receiving literally hundreds of such fraudulent solicitations. It makes interesting reading, in any event.

Despite all our best efforts, she continues to receive things of this nature on a regular basis. There are not enough obscenities in the English language - or German, or French, or Italian, for that matter, and that's saying something, because they have some really colorful ways of expressing themselves - to describe the heartless drones who prey on the elderly and befuddled in this manner.

Here is the list of what I had to confiscate and throw away only today.

Company Name	Address	City	State	Country or Zip
Aggregate Merchants	9030 W. Sahara Ave, #13	Las Vegas	NV	89117
Friedrich Mueller	PO Box 15027	Las Vegas	NV	89114-5027
Kemper & Covington	PMB 305, 10120 W. Flamingo Rd, Ste. 4	Las Vegas	NV	89147
Lynnebrook & Associates	PO Box 31478	Las Vegas	NV	89173-1478
Serena	CP 702	Vernier	Switzerland	CH-1214

 
My goodness. With the Swiss exception (and she's a clairvoyant), do we see any similarity in these addresses? I will allow you the privilege of drawing your own conclusions, whatever those might be.

Here's a sample of the latest hqiz that these filthbags are sending out (keep clicking the image until you get to full resolution):



On the back is a long disclaimer which, if read carefully, eliminates all confusion about what kind of solicitation this is, and places this piece of ejecta into the category of "barely legitimate scams." However, the sentence that really redlines my BS meter is this one:

"You are entitled to receive, upon return of Award Voucher, one of the following prizes: $9,800.00 (odds: 1 :995,999), $3,000.00 (odds: 1:995,999) $.79 (odds: 1:1) $1,250.00 (odds: 2:995,999) and $300.00 (odds: 5:995,999)."

Look closley. Buried within the other enticing prize amounts is the fact that your fee of $21.95, for the privilege of being ripped off, will net you a worthless report of sweepstakes you can enter, and a guaranteed check of 79 cents.

By the holy skull of Mogg's grandmother, this infuriates me. The eternal fires of Tophet are too merciful for the pieces of camel hqiz that run these operations. Give me half a chance and I'll tell you how I really feel.

If you have loved ones who are receiving this kind of bogus solicitation, please teach them not to respond to any of them - because they will be opening themselves up to a whole horde of depraved criminals who will hound them to their graves.