A consumer alert:

By BEN OLSON/for The Herald  —  When I was a youth, fabulously wealthy John Beresford Tipton gave a million dollars, tax-free, to an unexpecting recipient every week. We only got to hear Mr. Tipton speak, and see his arm as he handed the cashier’s check to his loyal executive secretary, Michael Anthony. Anthony’s task was to track down the lucky person and have them sign the disclaimer that said that they could never divulge who gave them the money. Pretty straight forward. In 207 episodes over 6 seasons, only once did the donee refuse the check, claiming that so much money would ruin her marriage.

 

Times have changed. Perhaps because of my notoriety as a newspaper columnist, famous celebrities and megabucks winners have singled me out to share in their good fortune. Instead of Michael Anthony showing up at my door, however, I’m finding out that it’s all done with texts and emails.

In the last month, I’ve received at least a dozen messages claiming that people want me to share some of the money they recently came into. All these people won an insane amount of money in a Megabucks Lottery, and have provided links to stories on the internet that “prove” it. I find it curious that every one of them decided to share their winnings with 10 lucky people- never 7, 9 or 11. The devil is in the detail, of course. If they really wanted to surprise me, they could have just mailed a cashier’s check to me. Are they concerned about the cost of postage? I’m not naive. I, like pretty much every other adult with a bank account in America, know that this is a scam. On par with the Nigerian Prince needing help getting his fortune to America. It must work once in a while. Otherwise these scammers would consider getting real jobs and stop trying to cheat people out of their money. If it wasn’t so pitiful, it would be amusing.

No one has ever mistaken me for a consumer advocate, so take this with a grain of salt. If someone you don’t know is offering you something that sounds too good to be true, it’s a scam. Sorry. Save yourself some time and potential anguish by deleting texts and emails that promise you newfound wealth. Sharing personal or banking information gives them just what they need to drain your accounts and ruin you financially. If you’re in doubt about my expertise on this subject, try the Oregon Department of Justice. They’ll help you find out about the latest scams going around and how to avoid them. Go to [email protected] or call 877 877 9392.