Issued By North Yorkshire County Council

CHAIN LETTER GIFTING SCHEME HITS NORTH YORKSHIRE

TRADING STANDARDS officers in North Yorkshire are warning the public not to respond to a chain letter which is dropping through letterboxes in the county.  

The letter, which purports to originate in Norfolk urges the recipient to “earn £40,000 in cash” by simply sending a gift of only £10 to the top name on a list of six names and then copying the letter 200 times randomly to chosen individuals.  

The letter then sets out how to receive great wealth by deleting the first name on the list and replacing it with their own. The letter should then progress down a pyramid shape network of distribution bringing riches to all who participate.  

However, the county council's trading standards and regulatory service says that in line with an old maxim - 'If something seems too good to be true, it invariably is'. 

So-called 'gifting' schemes such as this have come across from the USA, but they are not illegal under British law. 'Gifting' is not covered under any current legislation. Last year there were a number of schemes including one entitled Women Empowering Women, where many people lost a great deal of money.

The Government is currently assessing how these schemes are dealt with in other countries before deciding whether to amend United Kingdom law.   Interestingly, a recent civil case saw a participant in the Women Empowering Women scheme win back her initial stake of £3,000.

Councillor John Dennis, the county council’s executive member responsible for the trading standards service, said: “These schemes rely upon a pool of new investors to keep coming into them which will not happen. We would advise anybody who has received these letters to put them in the bin.”

Executive member: Councillor John Dennis (Con) 01609-883349

Group spokespeople: Councillor Mrs Caroline Seymour (Lib-Dem) 01642-710382; Councillor John Ritchie (Lab) 01723-366673

Richard Flinton on 01609-766400