Is there any such thing as a free lunch?

funny you should mention it but so have we.... ours turned out to be timeshare related! so i didnt bother... it became obvious once they started to check we qualified based on income etc etc... cant remember the name, something like sunshine travel..?

Cheers Hawk, (lets us feathered forum members stick together)

I thought it probably was.

We won 2 return tickets to the US in 2001. So these things can be real. Unfortunately 90+% seem to be scams or buyer "opportunities".

Howard.

I keep "winning" a Spanish lottery. All I have to do to claim my "prize" is to give full details of my bank account, age, name, address, next of kin, passport number, shoe size, whatever...

As a rule I ignore being told I have won competitions I didn't enter.

Bob

Obviously yes! There are free lunches aplenty!

This year alone my lofty social standing and A-list credentials have meant that I have been selected as a winning contestant in more than a dozen competitions run by our upstanding friends on the continent. It's testimony to the strength of my social currency that I have never entered any of these competitions and yet I and am awaiting well over £2,000,000 in winnings.

I'm so excited! I'm planning on spending the cash on a government sponsored training course to drain me of any remaining talent or self-critical faculties.

This will formally qualify me as a valueless talent-free twat and I can tout my wares around the reality tv circuit. I can join my heroes the Hamiltons, Tara Palmer-whatever, Jade, Posh, Trinny and Whatsherface. What a life that will be! I'll be in such demand I'll need to get Max Clifford involved to smooth over some of the rougher edges of my 'right-on' history.

Watch out ITV - I'm on my way.

The next free lunch is on me!

cheers

Ross

As a Seagull, you should know the answer to that question!

I've won some genuine holiday prizes in recent years, Malta, Turkey, etc, serious hotels and full board, serious companys signed and sealed, catch was **Ü*Ü**
had to get my own flights, and guess what, yes nice and dear, and linked to the hotels, goos though, I did consider going overland too, but didn't had a swift half with the Chief instead !

Fritz Von We're all goin t' Brighton

I got a phone call a couple of months ago to be greeted by a voice message telling me I had definitely won a £5000 cash prize.

I was 95% certain it was a scam but, oddly enough out of curiousity decided to follow it through anyway to see what happened. The first thing I had to do was ring the (obligatory ) 0900 number and 'answer' some lengthy questionnaire. Then I had to send a text message on my mobile giving my name, full address and a 'claim number' - yeah right!

Needless to say, no sign whatsoever of the cash prize I so 'definitely' had won!

What did I end up with?

A £10 phone bill for that one call to the 0900 number!

Cheers,

JR

If you have'nt already, you will soon get loads of unsolicited text messages that will cost you £1.50 a time.

cheers

Nigel

Footnote: Mrs S didn't bother to ring them. They phoned back and sounded really concerned that she hadn't phoned them to secure the holiday. She said she wasn't interested and hung up, so we'll never know...

quote:

---

Originally posted by Nigel Cavendish:
If you have'nt already, you will soon get loads of unsolicited text messages that will cost you £1.50 a time.

---

Well, I agree I was careless to say the least in sending the text but if what you say is true then I suppose I ought to consider myself lucky - I've had the ocasional unsolicited text but once in a blue moon - hardly loads!

Phew...so far!

Cheers,

JR

Persephone also found her free lunch quite expensive.

Basic rules always apply: Forget E-Mails, phone calls, sms's etc, etc. ONLY a written letter, with check up able credentials (preferably signed) plus winning cheque or equivalent, after checking it's genuine, put it through your desired account, if it doesn't play ball, fuck em, and write to your local paper or (Daily Torygraph) with sensational revelations, innit.

Fritz Von Caniinterestyouinavacuumcleanerjohn ?
Got some luvvly jubbly sheepskins in too:

This makes me think of the biggest fraud evre made, as reported on CBS 60 minutes a couple of years ago:

A couple og guys went to a bank and pretended they wher from Philip Morris and wanted to loane something like 40 million dollars for investments in new computer equipment. No problems, the bank said, just get a paper for the request that's signed by someone in upper management and has Philip Morris stamp on it.

They sent a fax to one person in the managment and stated the she had won a dinner for two on a fancy restarant, she just had to return the fax with her sign on it. She did (and they gave her the dinner).

Then they went to a stamp maker and said that they wanted stamps for there new company, including some of the people, "Paul Morris", "Steven Morris" and, yes, "Philip Morris".

They got the loan...

JohanR