The guru grifter scams have been around forever. Back in the 1980s readers of Soldier of Fortune and Survival Guide might remember the $100 (in 1980s cash) "Soldiers Handbook" written by the late retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Herbert.
It had nothing you couldn't find by spending about $20 (in 1980s cash) for a few Field Manuals and Technical Manuals at most Army/Navy stores.
I remember my dad used to bring home those weekly tabloids and they had the ad section in the back. In particular, I recall this one ad that said, “Send me $2 and a SASE and I will teach you how to get anyone to send you $2 in the mail.”
I was, like, 9 and realized that was clearly a scam.
Those weeklies were full of MLM Pyramid scams, but I still miss the news on Bat Boy and the Elvis sightings and doing cut-up art with the copies that found their way into the dumpster when they weren’t sold.
I remember doing one for a “Federal Bed-Wetting Technician.” Kinda’ prophetic these days I suppose.
My dad worked at a paper mill where they recycled old paper products and turned them in to corrugated cardboard boxes, so they used to bring a ton of paper products through there and he would bring some stuff home on occasion.
The biggest haul I remember him bringing home was 2 × 30 gallon garbage bags of Topps Baseball cards from 1979 to about 1983. I bought my entire comic book collection with all the Nolan Ryan cards that were in there. And it was a BIG collection. Sadly, they were all lost in a house fire while I was away in the military.
The guru grifter scams have been around forever. Back in the 1980s readers of Soldier of Fortune and Survival Guide might remember the $100 (in 1980s cash) "Soldiers Handbook" written by the late retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Herbert.
It had nothing you couldn't find by spending about $20 (in 1980s cash) for a few Field Manuals and Technical Manuals at most Army/Navy stores.
I remember my dad used to bring home those weekly tabloids and they had the ad section in the back. In particular, I recall this one ad that said, “Send me $2 and a SASE and I will teach you how to get anyone to send you $2 in the mail.”
I was, like, 9 and realized that was clearly a scam.
Those weeklies were full of MLM Pyramid scams, but I still miss the news on Bat Boy and the Elvis sightings and doing cut-up art with the copies that found their way into the dumpster when they weren’t sold.
I remember doing one for a “Federal Bed-Wetting Technician.” Kinda’ prophetic these days I suppose.
My dad worked at a paper mill where they recycled old paper products and turned them in to corrugated cardboard boxes, so they used to bring a ton of paper products through there and he would bring some stuff home on occasion.
The biggest haul I remember him bringing home was 2 × 30 gallon garbage bags of Topps Baseball cards from 1979 to about 1983. I bought my entire comic book collection with all the Nolan Ryan cards that were in there. And it was a BIG collection. Sadly, they were all lost in a house fire while I was away in the military.
Still, great memories.