Rant #2,466: Something Stupid

I really have to wonder about the sanity of people who fall for scams that are so obvious that you really have to be completely stupid to fall for them.

The latest one involves Costco, the popular bulk retailer, who somehow got involved in somebody's fiendish plot to make them look really bad.

Who started this rumor, and for what exact reason, are unknown, but it served its purpose: the retailer has had to put out several press releases claiming that it had nothing to do with it, and that the supposed offer is null and void, and in fact, ever existed.

Starting late last week on Facebook, people using the social media site have been inundated with what amounts to be nothing more than an electronic chain letter, stating that they were under the impression that if they shared a message related to Costco, that they would automatically win a $75 Costco gift card for their efforts.

So what happened is that people like me became inundated with posts about the potential to win such a card, simply for sharing this message.

Personally, I must have received at least a half dozen of these messages, all from supposed "friends" of mine.

I read these messages, but I pretty much believe in the axiom "a sucker is born every minute," and since I don't consider myself a sucker, I just passed on these messages.

But I saw who put them up, and I guess they figured "what do I have to lose?" by posting them.

I mean, are the posters actually going to get punished for sharing the message?

No, that is not going to happen, but it does soil the reputation of an honest retailer when thousands, if not millions of these posts go viral, and people believe that the company is reneging on an offer that it never actually made.

Let's say that a million of these went up, and each one of those sharing this message automatically received a $75 Costco gift card, as was supposedly promised. That would amount to $75 million in Costco gift cards being given out for free, and even a huge retailer like Costco would get a major hit from this type of giveaway.

So it is obvious whoever derived this plan was looking to at least dent the retailer, and hit their reputation.

This isn't the first one of these that I have seen; in fact, I have seen many of these, on Facebook and off of it.

I have seen these for mainly major fast food providers and restaurants, but now this scam is branching out to major department stores and to wholesale clubs.

The first clue that should have made people look the other way for this supposed "Costco Anniversary" scheme was that the links associated with obtaining that gift cards were not affiliated with Costco. That should have people right then and there that this was nothing more than a hoax, but it didn't.

The second clue should have been the notion that thinking people certainly have--or at least used to have--that something too good to be true is usually, in fact. something too good to be true.

The third clue might be something that people don't know, so you have to excuse them for this one: Costco never sends out such discounts via social media. News reports state that the retailer, inundated with bad press about this scam, has been forced to make that plain.

So three strikes, you're out, and the dummies that fell into this chasm of lies really should be ashamed of themselves.

I am sure some of them will learn their lesson about such things, but others will fall for the next such scam.

I remember that way back, I used to occasionally get chain letters in the regular mail, and once I saw what it was, I immediately threw them away in the garbage.

I have also received electronic chain letters, and like their paper counterparts, I discard them.

Why these things proliferate, even in the electronic age, is beyond me, but I would imagine that they, in their own twisted way, give people some hope and some pleasure.

Yes, a sucker is born every minute, it seems.