South African media is awash in ads for the famous US Green Card lottery. Whereas I've known about the lottery for years, I took a slight interest today because it appeared on a trustworthy site and the ease of the internet made it a "Why not".
However, I was shocked to see that I have to shell out money to fill in and submit the application form. At the back of my mind, I started wondering about the millions that must come in through what surely should be considered a scam as there is no limit on the number of entries, while only 50.000 winners are drawn. As I wondered about these figures, I kept thinking that surely this would run counter to the Founding Fathers' legacy in the constitution. A little google work turned out that entry in the lottery is free. Not only that, but "The entry registration period for DV-2006 is now over and all submission processing at this website has stopped". I can only imagine the number of people being suckered, when reputable publications serve as conduit for fraudsters to peddle their scams!! So much for the reliable sites of reliable online media!!! Rui ________________________________________________ Rui Correia Advocacy, Media and Language Consultant 38 Finch St, Ontdekkers Park, Roodepoort, Johannesburg, South Africa Tel/ Fax (+27-11) 766-4336 Cell (+27) (0) 83-368-1214
