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Competition scams are frauds which became prevalent during the late 20th century in which sophisticated, persuasive mailings are sent to people suggesting that the recipient is the winner of a prize, and requesting money from the recipient in order to release the valuable prize. Competition scams are generally operated from the USA, Canada and Australia and particularly target people in Britain, especially the elderly. The British office of fair trading in 2004 found more than 300 competition scams to be in operation, with each earning thousands of pounds each week from gullible and often naïve people from all walks of life and ages. They also discovered that the criminals operating the individual frauds exchange information and that a recipient responding favourably to one scam would subsequently be targeted by many others also, the recipients name and address being added to a special mailing list called by the perpetrators of the frauds a 'sucker list'.
 Research Competition Scam
Bitnet is an international computer network linking colleges and universities, similar to Usenet but using a different set of technical protocols for distributing information. It offers hundreds of discussion groups, comparable in scope to Usenet newsgroups.
Bitnet messages are sent to your mailbox, just as with a mailing list. However, where mailing lists are often maintained by a person, all Bitnet discussion groups are automated - you subscribe to them through messages to a 'listserver' computer.
Research Bitnet
Cardbox Plus is a file manager that works well where a card-index solution might have been used. It has unique indexing facilities including the ability to highlight and search on free-format comment text. Cardbox Plus is ideal for mailing list and simple customer record applications.
Research Cardbox Plus
A mailing list is a list of names and addresses used in direct-mail selling, advertising, fund raising, etc.
Research Mailing List
A mail shot is selling, advertising, or fund-raising material sent to all the names on a mailing list.
Research Mail Shot
Sucker list is criminal slang for a mailing list containing the names and addresses of victims who have been successfully conned by a mailing fraud, such as a competition scam.
Research Sucker List
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The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
©1993 - 2009 The Probert Encyclopaedia
Southampton, United Kingdom
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