Friday, January 05, 2007

I ‘Won’ A Lotto Jackpot Worth US$1 Million!

By Alex Vidal

"Everyone has the right to make his own decision/s, but none has the right to force his decision on others." AYN RAND

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I would like to take this opportunity to report a rather weird but hilarious information I received from the email which could also happen or has already happened to many email users here and abroad. Kevin J. Aronin, chairman and chief executive officer of Classic Free Lotto Game, informed me through a series of emails during the holiday season in December last year that "I won US$1 million" in their special draw that month.
Sensing chicanery, I deliberately ignored the message and even deleted that pesky item in my inbox. But when I failed to respond to his at least six emails, Aronin, in a follow email last December 29, sent via email the electronic copy of a check (Number M98211) worth US$1 million bearing my complete name and address from the Division of Unclaimed Funds with office address at P.O. Box 4562, New York, NY 10163 and signed by one Patrick T. Chambers. Aronin attached the names and complete addresses of my "co-winners" (there were 14 of us "new" millionaires) from 14 countries.
According to him, the company distributed a total of US$75 million. To prove his claim, he attached my claim ID No. 92912127. In his last email, Aronin appealed that I should reply to his email on January 2, 2007, meaning today, so I could immediately claim my money. Whoa. With US$1 million or P49 million, I could be the first Filipino multi-millionaire in the Year of the Pig! I could start touring the world, buying a mansion and brand new car, and buying my favorite laptop in the nearest computer shop, among other expensive things that are normally beyond the reach of ordinary wage earners like me. But it appears that everything was but an illusion; a mirage; a make-believe in as far as my supposed winning of the lottery jackpot draw was concerned.
Who was it who said that I could smell a crook from 5 miles away? There was actually good reason for me to suspect that Aronin (I doubt if this wag existed) wanted to pull a fast one at my expense because, in the first place, I never was a big fan of any lottery game and I could not recall having placed a bet on any multi-million dollar draw, much less in the United States!
Only the gullible actually falls prey on this type of scam being perpetrated by scoundrels that conveniently take advantage of the wonders of technology. I could be a sucker for Aronin’s tricks if my curiosity and ignorance prevailed over my common sense and alert mind. In this age of cyberspace, the game of fraud usually features the first fool who often meets the first bullshit. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

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