I got this one a while ago and it ended up in my shredder pile for a month or so. Since I never throw away anything intact with my name or address on it, I usually throw incoming junk mail into a pile that is destined for the shredder the next time I get around to using it.
Although shredding everything with my name or address on it might be considered overkill, I like to play it safe where identity theft is concerned. You may not want to go to that level, but nobody should throw out anything with personal information on it like account numbers or social security numbers without first making sure it is totally destroyed.
Also, make sure you never throw away those credit card offers without destroying them thoroughly. It is amazingly easy for someone to sign up for a credit card in your name using one of these offers that arrive in the mail.
If you think I am kidding, be sure to check this link.
Anyway, I seem to be getting a bit far afield of my intended subject here, so to get back on track, I received a nifty official-looking envelope in the mail a while back.
The weasels know that a large percentage of junk mail simply gets tossed in the rubbish without being opened, so they try these little tricks to deceive people by making them think the contents are from some government agency.
Alas, their trick did not work for me since I tossed it into my shredder pile without opening it until today when I decided the pile was getting a bit out-of-control and it was time to fire up the shredder.
Notice how these guys go so far as to create an official-looking seal on their envelope that incorporates symbols you would normally see on some kind of official government seal.
They also take special care to spell out ‘United States Post Office Box 88’ as part of their return address so they can get those words ‘United States’ on there and make it appear, from a quick glance that this is coming from a government agency.
And of course the typical ‘IMPORTANT’ and ‘OPEN WITHOUT DELAY’ crap is used to add to the urgency of this important message.
So what do I find when I actually open this envelope?
Some cheesy mass-produced flyer advertising a big automobile sale.
Truth is if I didn’t plan to use it here on my blog, I probably would not have even opened it and just fed it into my trusty shredder.
Have these weasels no shame? I don’t know about you, but if I was taken in by their deception and expected to find some type of official notice from a government agency when I opened it, I sure as hell would not have been attending their little event.
Surely, there must be better and more honest ways to promote something than these sleazy tactics I have been seeing so much of lately.
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