Subject: [MMUSIC] Re: [DC-Urban-Moms-List] ALERT #1 Reading this letter changed my life!

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 16:27:45 EDT

You Could Be Prosecuted 
Sometimes posters claim that these schemes are completely legal, claiming 
they are mailing list or recipe services. These posters may even cite title 
18, sections 1302, 1341, 1342, and 1343 of the "Postal Lottery Laws." These 
sections are part of the U.S. Code. I'm sure that none of these people have 
actually read them, because they do not authorize pyramid schemes. In fact, 
these are the very laws that make pyramid schemes illegal. (Take a minute to 
read 18 USC 1302, 1341, 1342, and 1343 for yourself.)

They may also claim that their e-mails are legal under "S. 1618" or "H.R. 
3113." These were bills in the U.S. Congress that failed to become law. They 
have no legal effect. (See this Web page from a British site for a nice 
summary.)

Pyramid schemes have long been illegal when conducted by mail in the United 
States or Canada. The same laws apply to Internet chain letters if the mails 
are used at any point in the scheme.

The latest twist in these schemes is to claim to be selling something, such 
as reports, mailing lists, or recipes. The U.S. Postal Service warns:

Do not be fooled if the chain letter is used to sell inexpensive reports on 
credit, mail order sales, mailing lists, or other topics. The primary purpose 
is to take your money, not to sell information. "Selling" a product does not 
ensure legality. 

[A couple of ideas for Americans wishing to report pyramid schemes: If the 
e-mail asks you to send money through the mail, you may report it using the 
U.S. Postal Inspection Service Mail Fraud Complaint Form, e-mail 
[email-masked], or report it via snail mail to
Postal Inspector
c/o Postmaster
Your City, Your State, Your Zip

(A stamp is required.)]

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mmusic mailing list
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https://www1.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/mmusic

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From: Colin Perkins <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 16:40:27 -0400

Folks,

I approved this, but please no more posts on this subject. The original
spam came from a subscriber to the mmusic list, and so avoided the spam
filter. That subscriber has now been removed from the list.

Colin