Chain letter

Common methods used in chain letters include emotionally manipulative stories, get-rich-quick pyramid schemes, and the exploitation of superstition to threaten the recipient.

It soon swamped the Denver post office with hundreds of thousands of letters before spilling into St. Louis and other cities.

[3] In 1964, the head of the United States Postal Inspection Service ordered a nationwide crackdown on violators of postal fraud and lottery laws due to an increase of chain letters reported around college towns in the United States.

[5] They may also be politically motivated, such as "Save the Scouts, forward this to as many friends as possible"[6] or a warning that a popular TV or radio show may be forced off the air.

Chain letters are often coupled with intimidating hoaxes or the promise of providing the sender with "secret" information once they have forwarded the message.

Printed Australian chain letter from 2006, with a five-cent coin taped to it as what it calls a "financial eye-catcher"