I maintain a dedicated e-mail address, reserved just for the hobby, using a different server from any of my other e-mail accounts; indeed, I use a separate browser for my hobby activities, too (and clear the history each time, of course).  

I get plenty of junk e-mail there, which I just delete.  But, twice, several months apart, I received notification that I had actually won an Apple iPad.  I poked around, and it seemed legit.  It was not couched in the "You may have won..." language, but directed me to a Web page to enter my name, address, etc.  (They needed my address to ship the iPad to.)  There was no fine print about this being a marketing promotion, and this being one of several possible prizes I could win.  It did not ask me for any bank or credit card info.  I've only received the notification twice, so it's not one of these mass deals that I see multiple times a day in pop-up ads or the like.  So, it looked legit to me.  

The catch?  They reserved the right to use my name and image in any way they wanted to in publicizing this.  So, here I was: confronted with the prospect of having my real name and address trumpeted about, as a winner of the [insert server name here] iPad.  If anyone I know were to see this, they'd wonder, "Why is he using [this server]?  I thought he was on [another server]!"

So, what did I do?  

Ignored my free iPad and go about my business.  

Anyone else have any similar experiences?

og

P.S.: Oh, yes: I'm still mourning my "lost" iPad!  

Otherwise my hobby email won one too.  "You've Won an iPad3 - Details Inside." from "Apple Giveaway"

I get all kinds of offers, business propositions, free this or that all the time on all my emails.  No matter how legit they may seem, there's always a catch.  Thanks for the heads up.

In fact, the ones I've received seem about as common as the ones you got.  On the ones sent to me though, there wasn't even the catch of having my name used for marketing purposes, or at least not that I could find in any fine print.

But give up my name AND address for a lowly iPad?  No thanks.  In my case the message didn't come to my hobby address, but for you and others like you where that kind of message does, you might consider the possibility that LE has obtained your email address.  Why bother with a subpoena when some suckers will give them the information they want?

.....a notification upon opening the e-mail server.  And, I've only received this notification twice, several month apart.  Nevertheless, it was probably just a more clever form of marketing.

I still mourn that iPad, however!  

og

....losing that Walmart gift card!

I highly doubt that is LE.   What happens is...once you go to that first website and fill in the info, you getted spammed by hundreds of similar offers.  I did it once in my civie life......NEVER again!  I had to close my email account... I had rec'd over 200 of these spam emails in one day and then didn't check my email for about 1 week.....there were over 1600 spam emails!!!   urggggggggg!!!!  NEVER NEVER NEVER AGAIN.......and I never rec'd my Walmart gift card either!   Hmmm!

Oh boy. You actually think you are going to win? Come on. Just a different marketing tactic. They obtain data they can sell. That's how lists are created.

As for a $1000 Walmart GC. Well by lots of soap so you can scrub the dirty grimy feeling you get walking in the store and too close to the inhabitants.

Do you know what you can buy at Wal Mart for 1K........alot!!!!!!!!

Ive gotten the ipad and walmart winner emails.  Delete, delete.  If it's
too good to be true, ......        Now if I got one of those emails from a
provider I know notifying me that I won a.....oh never mind...tgtbt.

....join their porn/adult webcam sites for  adult work etc.

I also get signed up to escort directory sites often. Lots of listing on sites I've never heard of until they email me to edit my listing(s) lol

-- Modified on 5/8/2012 3:55:10 PM

Now, I know.  LOL

I just got a check for $1.2 million from a Nigerian Princess who, I, being from a family of about 300+ cousins and 10 siblings, was her only living relative.  

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the money yet though.  Probably invest...

Sorry, OG...I had to do it for fun.  Muah!

in the end you'll be PAYING somehow!!!!!!!!!!!

Too funny!!! Maybe, with the million that I made.....

--being as how I too am Nigerian royalty, apparently--we should pool our earnings and retire to the South Pacific together!    

OK?

If not, then maybe just a fun session together some time......

og

-- Modified on 5/8/2012 8:37:30 PM

I got a text to my cell phone that I had won that Best Buy drawing I had entered. Funny thing is I would never give out my cell phone number to anyone except close friends, family, and lovers.

I get those too and my Grandmothers are lucky to have it with how few people I give mine too. It baffles me how they get our info. Bah humbug to the spammers.

Well, I better head to the Uptown Apple. I've got a big purchase to make. Everybody be sure to post your real names and addresses so I can mail out the iPads :P

The past few years, I've seen so many ads and emails telling me I've won an iPad that if they were legit, I could have given one as a graduation present to every student in my child's high school graduation class.

It's the if it looks to good to be true, it is to good to be true.

It's standard procedure for any of these giveaways or any pop-up saying you've won anything to ignore or close them. Some require more drastic action, such as Ctrl Alt Del on a PC, to force them closed - or even powering down.

You mean I'm not the winner of the European lottery?

I've already sent them my bank account info to transfer the funds.

They might decide to raid your account!

LOL They won't get enough to bail out the Euro.