So I got this email today from “Angel Thomas” who is using Sandra Clark’s email address, hazelsjhl@hotmail.com, and apparently I am the winner of an Apple MacBook! Sweet!
The email showed up as a reply to a post that I put up on Craigslist trying to sell something.
Attention CL User,
My name is Angel Thomas, Chief executive officer of Craigslist. We’ve recently joined up with Apple company regarding a one-time promotional event today, we are giving away free Apple MacBooks to randomly selected people who have submitted an ad on Craig’s list. You’ve been chosen as one of our newest winners for today. We randomly select numbers to match up with ads on C-list and your advertisement matched with our latest drawing.
We have nowNow we have partnered up with Apple inc to promote their most popular product yet, the Apple MacBook. Once yet again, we’re operating this promotion for one-day only. All you need to do is CLICK HERE to go to our site created for this promotion and key in your email to obtain yours for free. Just ensure you enter your email so we can locate our records to make certain that we have reserved one for you. That is it!
Congrats on winning a free Apple MacBook (valued at $1299). In case you’ve got any query or concerns, feel free to email me back. However, you should claim your free MacBook 1st to make certain one will be reserved for you before the deadline ends. We do understand that you may not receive this e-mail until after the deadline, however, we suggest you check out the website and enter your email to see if we still have got yours on hold, which we often-times do because others have not claimed theirs on time.
Angel Thomas
CEO, C-list
Now clicking on the link redirects you to a splash page asking for your email address and takes you to another page for your shipping info. If you submit the information on this page, you are agreeing to the following terms:
By clicking the Continue button, I have read and agree to Rewards-Confirmation.com’s Privacy Policyand Terms & Conditions which includes providing my signature expressly requesting a return phone call from this list of Marketing Partners based on my answers to the following survey page. I also agree to receive pre-recorded messages from WCA and SMS texts (std msg rates may apply).
According to their Terms & Conditions, you will receive phone calls and text messages:
By accepting of the terms and conditions of this website and providing your telephone number, you are subscribing to a service that transmits special offers to subscribers via pre-recorded voice messages.
By subscribing, you are expressly consenting to receive prerecorded telephone messages from Worldwide Commerce Associates (“WCA”) that include special offers from affiliated merchants. You are subscribing to receive prerecorded messages only from WCA with offers from its affiliated merchants and only at the specific number(s) you have provided to us. Your consent will be effective regardless of whether the number you have provided: (a) is a home, business, or cell phone line; and/or (b) is or will be registered on any state or federal Do-Not-Call (DNC) list, and shall remain in effect until you revoke your consent and cancel your subscription.
So any site that present you with any type of popup… even some of the SEO and Internet Marketing blogs that I run across… that have pop-up or pop-under advertisements are 99% junk. Yes, they are trying to make money online, but really, trying to make $1 for collecting my email address and submitting it (most likely fraudulently through a CPA program) is just plain unethical.
But where’s my free Apple MacBook?
This is a huge scam, played out on a multitude of scenarios, but basically the same. Promise something exciting. Collect and email. Collect more info and include terms for an opt-in for some type of marketing. Then finally, make someone complete a couple offers (complete = pay for something) and enter them into an endless circle and no Apple MacBook.
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