This should be illegal!

[swoll1980]

Got this flyer in the mail, and it has to be the biggest scam I ever saw. Just look at the specs for crying out loud!

[Redache]

What the...

That Laptop has a Pentium 4 Sticker on it but the Spec says Pentium III???.

If you're stupid enough to buy it, I'd say you deserve it really.

[swoll1980]

What the...

That Laptop has a Pentium 4 Sticker on it but the Spec says Pentium III???.

If you're stupid enough to buy it, I'd say you deserve it really.

I'm sure the people that do end up buying it have no idea what a Pentium processor is though. It say it's capable if playing virtually all of todays most exiting games. I bet it would struggle running Diablo.

[HappyFeet]

Someone just played a joke on you. Those computers are like 7 years old. Plus, they don't sell CRT monitors anymore.

[LightB]

Good deal! Look it's Full Stereo, none of that half stereo weakness!

[Kareeser]

Ha! I had the same reaction as HappyFeet. Those computers look like they're several years old... and the ad is designed like the old Compaq ads back in the 90s!

Free 10 hours with NetZero... except back then, it was Juno :)

For fun, report them to the BBB!

INTEL MULTIMEDIA indeed! Onboard intel graphics FTW.

[Dr Small]

Give them your money!

[HappyFeet]

Ha! I had the same reaction as HappyFeet. Those computers look like they're several years old... and the ad is designed like the old Compaq ads back in the 90s!

Free 10 hours with NetZero... except back then, it was Juno :)

For fun, report them to the BBB!

INTEL MULTIMEDIA indeed! Onboard intel graphics FTW.

Plus, no one bundles NetZero (dial-up) anymore. Swoll, are you OK?

[Ericyzfr1]

This does not look current, these PC's have 56k modems and no network cards? No RAM either....These are what 2001 models if that?

[swoll1980]

Ha! I had the same reaction as HappyFeet. Those computers look like they're several years old... and the ad is designed like the old Compaq ads back in the 90s!

Free 10 hours with NetZero... except back then, it was Juno :)

For fun, report them to the BBB!

INTEL MULTIMEDIA indeed! Onboard intel graphics FTW.

It's not a joke. It was sent by Publishers Clearing House. It's one page out of a larger circular.

[gymophett]

This cannot be real! That is a big scam. A CRT monitor and terrible specs $700?! Uh, no. You got joked.

[swoll1980]

This does not look current, these PC's have 56k modems and no network cards? No RAM either....These are what 2001 models if that?

They come with open office too :P

[Skripka]

Good deal! Look it's Full Stereo, none of that half stereo weakness!

It has GOT a FLOPPY DRIVE. w00000t!!!! CLICK BUY NOW!!!

[swoll1980]

This cannot be real! That is a big scam. A CRT monitor and terrible specs $700?! Uh, no. You got joked.

here's the back page of the flyer. It's dated 04-22-09

[Tipped OuT]

Economy has gone to crap my friends. :P

[days_of_ruin]

So you won them? Definitely not a $700 value tho lol!
But you get OOo!!

[collinp]

This flyer is /really/ old.
Oh, and I can tell that date is faked, typed in from a computer.

[swoll1980]

So you won them? Definitely not a $700 value tho lol!
But you get OOo!!

No she won a $100 coupon towards buying one of them.

[HappyFeet]

here's the back page of the flyer. It's dated 04-22-09

You're probably right Swoll, it should be illegal. But unfortunately, there is no law against charging $10,000 for those pc's. They can charge what they want.

[swoll1980]

This flyer is /really/ old.
Oh, and I can tell that date is faked, typed in from a computer.

And here I thought they were hand written. Silly me!

[Dr Small]

It has GOT a FLOPPY DRIVE. w00000t!!!! CLICK BUY NOW!!!
+1 for floppy drives.

[chellrose]

20 GB, 256 MB RAM, and this is supposed to be recent? Eek!

*runs and hides*

:)

[swoll1980]

microcenter sells the same computer for $99

[Tipped OuT]

microcenter sells the same computer for $99

Both ad's are rip-off's, I can get a computer like that at the 98 cents store down the block. :lolflag:

[Ericyzfr1]

here's the back page of the flyer. It's dated 04-22-09

May be another internet scam, do you have to wire transfer any money somewhere?
Honestly, this cannot be real. I had a Dell laptop like that one in 01....It may actually be that one....

[DirtDawg]

I like the part about, "Mouse--------2 Button". That fancy 2 button mouse clearly justifies the steep price.

Really though it's just sad. More jerks preying on the elderly.

[swoll1980]

May be another internet scam, do you have to wire transfer any money somewhere?
Honestly, this cannot be real. I had a Dell laptop like that one in 01....It may actually be that one....

No it came in mail saying she won a $100 coupon that she could use towards the purchase of a bunch of dated over priced crap.

[swoll1980]

I like the part about, "Mouse--------2 Button". That fancy 2 button mouse clearly justifies the steep price.

Really though it's just sad. More jerks preying on the elderly.

I like "20 Gb Hard Drive, more than enough for anyone" Reminds me of a famous quote by someone else.

[schauerlich]

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/7978/commodore64350px.jpg

What a friggin ripoff!

[schauerlich]

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/2/applead.jpg

$9,995? You're kidding me!

[Redache]

microcenter sells the same computer for $99

Sans Monitor though.

I wouldn't even pay £5 for a PC like that any more. Such is the prejudice of a Technofile.

[Dr. C]

It's not a joke. It was sent by Publishers Clearing House. It's one page out of a larger circular.

That explains it. A lot of these scams are things that might look as worth something to someone that does not understand the industry but are in fact worthless. Not everyone understands the subtleties of computer processors etc.

[HappyFeet]

Sans Monitor though.

I wouldn't even pay £5 for a PC like that any more. Such is the prejudice of a Technofile.

Agreed. People give me better pc's than that.

[DirtDawg]

That explains it. A lot of these scams are things that might look as worth something to someone that does not understand the industry but are in fact worthless. Not everyone understands the subtleties of computer processors etc.

Yup. Specifically the elderly (as I mentioned before, but it's worth repeating because it's just so dispicable).

[tjwoosta]

OMG!!

That really sucks, I wonder how many old people would think that was a good deal and buy one.


I should start printing up some colorful flyers selling outdated hardware for modern day prices and drop them off at old peoples houses. Id make a killing.


lol, 56k modem, I remember those days.

[Corelogik]

Looks like someone recycled a really old ad to me,..

[Dr. C]

Yup. Specifically the elderly (as I mentioned before, but it's worth repeating because it's just so dispicable).

No just the elderly. Anyone of any age who is not a computer geek.

[djdarrin91]

My girlfriend got the same one. my exact words were"is this a joke?"

[DirtDawg]

No just the elderly. Anyone of any age who is not a computer geek.

Indeed, they cast a wide net.

[Keithhed]

I have a very similar computer to that in the next room, running Xubuntu. I'm pretty sure its from 1999 or 2000. And now its just a "tinker toy"

[sydbat]

It's not a joke. It was sent by Publishers Clearing House.No...it is Sweepstakes Clearinghouse (as seen in the "notice" you uploaded)...this is a well known scam (according to my friend (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=sweepstakes+clearinghouse+scam&btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=)).

http://www.ripoffreport.com/searchresults.asp?q5=SWEEPSTAKES+CLEARING&searchtype=0&q1=ALL&q3=&q2=&q7=&q4=&q6=&start=0

http://www.complaints.com/Sweepstakes-Clearinghouse-140903/Sweepstakes-Clearinghouse-140903.html

http://www.iowa.gov/government/ag/consumer/press_releases/sweepsy2.html

[gn2]

WooHoo! COLOUR screen on that laptop, got to have that!
Is there a link to buy on-line, will they ship overseas?

[TenPlus1]

Leaping Loris ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Slender_Loris )

Pic: http://www.nickgarbutt.com/images/dmImage/xLargeImage/Slow-Loris_Danum_1.jpg

[phaed]

1) Bundling OpenOffice.org is priceless. Full Office suite! $300 value!

2) Did you notice that the business address to get more information is simply "Computer" at some PO Box?

3) Do a Google search for the Sweepstakes Clearinghouse address, "1555 Regal Row, Dallas, TX 75247." You get some interesting results.

a) Union Workers Credit Services: another scam, apparently

b) Allied Marketing Group:

http://www.alliedmarketinggroup.com/

"Founded over 25 years ago, Allied Marketing Group has grown to become one of the largest promotional companies in America with thousands of customers and prize winners... The foundation of Allied Marketing Group's success has been its ability to offer customers high quality, name-brand merchandise at deeply discounted prices."

Apparently, this is the company that owns "Sweepstakes Clearinghouse"?

c) Marketing Investors Corp: Another company registered at that address. These scam artists use lots of different names

d) Aircraft Network LLC: but it has the same web address as Allied Marketing Group

I actually used Street View on Google Maps to confirm that at least the building pictured on their web site is real. :)

BTW, if you read through that Rip Off Report, you'll see Sweepstakes Clearinghouse made several attempts to rebut the customers, but I guess they gave up after a while.

Also, the reports go back to 2002, which may just be when ROR went online. Allied Marketing claims to be around for 20 years, back before there was an internet to reveal their scam. But how have they gotten away with for 7 years in the light of day?

If I lived in Dallas, I'd apply for a job there and so some kind of undercover report. :)

[billgoldberg]

Agreed. People give me better pc's than that.

Ditto.

I would pay €5 for that machine and they would have to give me money for me to use that monitor.

[chucky chuckaluck]

i've got a monitor like that blocking the attic door (keeps the little furry ones out of trouble).

[nowin4me]

here's the back page of the flyer. It's dated 04-22-09

Please note on that note it still says your name. You might want to take it off.

Again, congratulations (your name is here please remove it).

[SonicSteve]

They come with open office too :P

This virtually guarantees that it's fairly recent. Open Office didn't exist when those machines were new. I don't think it did anyway.

[DirtDawg]

Leaping Loris ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Slender_Loris )

Pic: http://www.nickgarbutt.com/images/dmImage/xLargeImage/Slow-Loris_Danum_1.jpg

Wha...?? :confused:


No...it is Sweepstakes Clearinghouse (as seen in the "notice" you uploaded)...this is a well known scam (according to my friend (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=sweepstakes+clearinghouse+scam&btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=)).

http://www.ripoffreport.com/searchresults.asp?q5=SWEEPSTAKES+CLEARING&searchtype=0&q1=ALL&q3=&q2=&q7=&q4=&q6=&start=0

http://www.complaints.com/Sweepstakes-Clearinghouse-140903/Sweepstakes-Clearinghouse-140903.html

http://www.iowa.gov/government/ag/consumer/press_releases/sweepsy2.html

Wow, some of the stories told in the comments of that first link are just sad.

It looks like the scammers are in hot water over flat-out not delivering product and stealing. Still, I wonder if the base scam is actually illegal or if it's a case of buyer beware? That is, would it be illegal if they were honest in their business dealings but still charged these kinds of outrageous prices? Clearly unethical, but illegal?

[DirtDawg]

i've got a monitor like that blocking the attic door (keeps the little furry ones out of trouble).

Are you talking about your kids?

[swoll1980]

Please note on that note it still says your name. You might want to take it off.

Angela is my girlfriend. I figured since there is literately 1000s of people in the US with her name, it wasn't really harmful. Thanks for your concern though.

[swoll1980]

1) Bundling OpenOffice.org is priceless. Full Office suite! $300 value!

2) Did you notice that the business address to get more information is simply "Computer" at some PO Box?

3) Do a Google search for the Sweepstakes Clearinghouse address, "1555 Regal Row, Dallas, TX 75247." You get some interesting results.

a) Union Workers Credit Services: another scam, apparently

b) Allied Marketing Group:

http://www.alliedmarketinggroup.com/

"Founded over 25 years ago, Allied Marketing Group has grown to become one of the largest promotional companies in America with thousands of customers and prize winners... The foundation of Allied Marketing Group's success has been its ability to offer customers high quality, name-brand merchandise at deeply discounted prices."

Apparently, this is the company that owns "Sweepstakes Clearinghouse"?

c) Marketing Investors Corp: Another company registered at that address. These scam artists use lots of different names

d) Aircraft Network LLC: but it has the same web address as Allied Marketing Group

I actually used Street View on Google Maps to confirm that at least the building pictured on their web site is real. :)

BTW, if you read through that Rip Off Report, you'll see Sweepstakes Clearinghouse made several attempts to rebut the customers, but I guess they gave up after a while.

Also, the reports go back to 2002, which may just be when ROR went online. Allied Marketing claims to be around for 20 years, back before there was an internet to reveal their scam. But how have they gotten away with for 7 years in the light of day?

If I lived in Dallas, I'd apply for a job there and so some kind of undercover report. :)

They're selling these computers as new. There's no way they can be new. They're like 10 years old, and would have to be referbs, I'm sure. How do they get away with this?

[Perfect Storm]

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/7978/commodore64350px.jpg

What a friggin ripoff!

Now there's a nice deal...back in the 80's :popcorn:

[swoll1980]

Now there's a nice deal...back in the 80's :popcorn:

$600 was a lot of money back then. Would be like $1,800 today.

[CharmyBee]

That Laptop has a Pentium 4 Sticker on it but the Spec says Pentium III???.

at the time, P3 was faster than P4.

[phaed]

This virtually guarantees that it's fairly recent. Open Office didn't exist when those machines were new. I don't think it did anyway.

I wondered about that too, but on WP it says OpenOffice.org came out in 2000. It's been around for a while. That could be a circa 2000 / 2001 ad, but I don't think it is. I don't think the OP is lying.

[MikeTheC]

Oh my... I guess they were sure desperate to get rid of those things. I can only imagine how many of those old systems must still be kicking around somewhere.

"The landfill called, they want their garbage back."

[swoll1980]

My girlfriend got the same one. my exact words were"is this a joke?"


I wondered about that too, but on WP it says OpenOffice.org came out in 2000. It's been around for a while. That could be a circa 2000 / 2001 ad, but I don't think it is. I don't think the OP is lying.

Well djdarrin91's girlfriend got the same one. Makes me wonder if they're targeting women.

[Marlonsm]

It's old, or else they wouldn't advertize about Win XP, neither about the color display in the laptop.

But after seeing stores here selling an OMG-uber-fast-top-of-line Quad-core computer (with 256Mb RAM), I'll believe anything... (And it didn't even have "one hundred and twenty eight megs of memory!!!!!!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxXmPFxf2Jg)" :lolflag:)

[Amof]

Fuuuuuull stereo!!!

[Pixel]

I got one of those flyers in the mail a few weeks ago, my mom and dad saw it and thought it was a good deal and almsot fell for it, until they showed it to me. I told them what a ripoff it was and that it was just a scam, they threw the flyer away.

[nitehawk777]

That desktop has GOT to be a Dell Optiplex 150,.....
I got one just like it !!! Right now it sits under my computer desk with WXP on it.

[tjwoosta]

Its strange how when people buy something they know a even tiny bit about they will actually compare prices and specs to ensure that they are getting what they are paying for. Take cars for instance, who doesnt compare prices when buying a car? Yet when its something they dont know much about they wont even bother comparing anything, they will just jump at whatever looks flashy. If you ask me if somebody is dumb enough to fall for this, they deserve it.

[DirtDawg]

If you ask me if somebody is dumb enough to fall for this, they deserve it.

That's a little extreme, IMO. As has been mentioned several times in this thread, there are many people, elderly for example, who have money but may no longer have the mental prowess to see this scam for what it is.

What should really happen is this operation should be shut down. That would be best for everyone. Well, except for the guy with a warehouse full of turn-of-the-millennium Dells.

[sydbat]

(And it didn't even have "one hundred and twenty eight megs of memory!!!!!!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxXmPFxf2Jg)" :lolflag:)While funny to us, you have to think who these "shopping channels" are aimed at - older people.

For example, my father-in-law wanted a computer, so he went out and bought one (not from a shopping channel, but just about as bad - 'a friend of a friend' who owned a "computer store"). He paid well over $1500 for a box that was beyond obsolete when he got it (128 MB RAM, 1Ghz Celeron, on board graphics, Windows ME) in 2003. It lasted about 2 years. He asked me to take a look at it when it would no longer play games or "go onto the internet" fast. I told him that I would build him a box that would be much better than the old one, and would cost a lot less.

I built him a 2Ghz AMD Athalon64, 2 GB RAM, 256 PCI-e box (with a legal copy of XP Home) for about $400 in 2005. He couldn't believe it.

The "computer store" mentioned above no longer exists.

So, it is older people who tend to get ripped off by scammers. They are an easy target for a variety of reasons.

[Marlonsm]

While funny to us, you have to think who these "shopping channels" are aimed at - older people.

For example, my father-in-law wanted a computer, so he went out and bought one (not from a shopping channel, but just about as bad - 'a friend of a friend' who owned a "computer store"). He paid well over $1500 for a box that was beyond obsolete when he got it (128 MB RAM, 1Ghz Celeron, on board graphics, Windows ME) in 2003. It lasted about 2 years. He asked me to take a look at it when it would no longer play games or "go onto the internet" fast. I told him that I would build him a box that would be much better than the old one, and would cost a lot less.

I built him a 2Ghz AMD Athalon64, 2 GB RAM, 256 PCI-e box (with a legal copy of XP Home) for about $400 in 2005. He couldn't believe it.

The "computer store" mentioned above no longer exists.

So, it is older people who tend to get ripped off by scammers. They are an easy target for a variety of reasons.

At the time that was done, it actually wasn't a scam, it was actually a high-end computer.

But I agree, and it's not only older people, many younger people who know little about computers also fall for those.

[swoll1980]

At the time that was done, it actually wasn't a scam, it was actually a high-end computer.

But I agree, and it's not only older people, many younger people who know little about computers also fall for those.

Just so you guys know, the hard copy doesn't look nearly as old as the one that I uploaded. It's my 10 year old scanner that makes it look old.

[MikeTheC]

Its strange how when people buy something they know a even tiny bit about they will actually compare prices and specs to ensure that they are getting what they are paying for. Take cars for instance, who doesnt compare prices when buying a car? Yet when its something they dont know much about they wont even bother comparing anything, they will just jump at whatever looks flashy. If you ask me if somebody is dumb enough to fall for this, they deserve it.

Most people, as I have found out in my 36 years on this planet, are near-mindless sheep. It doesn't diminish their liability to personal responsibility -- or anything else -- but it is the truth.

[swoll1980]

Most people, as I have found out in my 36 years on this planet, are near-mindless sheep. It doesn't diminish their liability to personal responsibility -- or anything else -- but it is the truth.

Baaaa

[DirtDawg]

Just so you guys know, the hard copy doesn't look nearly as old as the one that I uploaded. It's my 10 year old scanner that makes it look old.

Ten years old? That's got to be worth at least a couple hundred bucks :D

[swoll1980]

Ten years old? That's got to be worth at least a couple hundred bucks :D

Yeah. I should start working on a flyer for it.

[Yownanymous]

First thing that came to my mind was:

"This seems awfully of the same calibre as FinallyFast." It's absolutely disgusting that people abuse the fact a lot of people don't know about computers.

[Saint Angeles]

Yeah. I should start working on a flyer for it.
hahaha

[ndefontenay]

Well. You do have openoffice.org for free!!! How good is that!!!! lol

[Bodsda]

Well. You do have openoffice.org for free!!! How good is that!!!! lol

All we need now is free paper + ink :)