Chain Letters
What is a chain letter? By definition, it is a letter that gets passed along a chain of people and promises that you will make huge amounts of money simply by copying and sending the letter to X amount of other people. In actuality, the common chain letter is a scam that makes no money for you. The money that is earned, if any, is made by the top one or two people in the chain. They're a scam, fraud and a waste of your time, effort and expenses.
Besides, according to the US Postal Service, chain letters received in the mail are illegal.
Main Entry: gullˇible
Variant: also gullˇable /'g&-l&-b&l/
Function: adjective
: easily duped or cheated
Don't be gullible.
Some chains proclaim that if you break the chain, dire consequenses will befall you. Some tell of people that failed to heed the warnings and these unfortunate souls died because of their skepticism.
Pyramid Schemes: Chain letters are known as pyramid schemes. If you haven't received one, you have no idea how fortunate you are.
[Chain letters are] illegal if they request money or other items of value and promise a substantial return to the participants. Chain letters are a form of gambling, and sending them through the mail (or delivering them in person or by computer, but mailing money to participate) violates Title 18, United States Code, Section 1302, the Postal Lottery Statute."
The lure of the chain letter is that you can get rich quick by mailing money to the person above you, delete the name at the top of the chain and adding your name to the bottom. In a small chain with only a few levels, it is theoretically possible to make a few bucks, but as the chain grows, the possibility of making money is slim to none. Geometric progression dictates that the larger the pyramid, the smaller the chance of gaining income.
Hi, my name is Dave Rhodes...
One of the most famous chain letters was from Dave Rhodes (unknown if this was his real name) who supposedly
Links
Wikipedia Article on Chain Letters.
Rutgers University page on chain letters.