Scam or Not

I've never won a contest, the kind of contest that comes to you and doesn't require any expertise. No limericks to write, no clever logos to draw, no essays about a mentor who changed my life, no short piece on my most memorable experience or the most embarrassing experience...nothing to do, but wait for my prize.

So when I received an email this afternoon telling me that my name had been selected, along with four others, to receive a free gift as part of Facebook's Wednesday give away, I reacted with skepticism. What are the odds, I thought.

The site listed four gifts: an I Phone 6, an IPad, an Android smartphone, and a Five hundred dollar Amazon gift certificate. I watched a digital clock count down. In four minutes my prizes would disappear. If not me someone else.

Still that small voice said, scam artists.

I tried to get off the site, but it wasn't possible without answering some questions. I became a scam artist and created a new persona. A new name. Changed address. My own unique email. I trimmed years off my age.

Everything, from my name to my interests, altered. Only after filling in all the boxes with asterisks was I able to exit the site. And then I wondered if the offer was valid, if I had turned down a legitimate offer.