Emphasis Preaching Journal

More than 200,000 pink postcards were sent to average Americans in May of 1993, inviting them to call a toll-free number for a "guaranteed prize." The response was 20 percent -- remarkable when considering that direct-mail marketers look on four percent as a success. The prize, however, was a little free advice, courtesy of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service: Stop answering postcards offering guaranteed prizes. Postcards offering everything from cameras to vacations to homes to easy credit have become widely popular with con artists.