Some even offer to send a courier to collect payment. Consumers are talked into giving their credit card numbers and then are billed hundreds of dollars, or are tricked into providing a checking account number which enables an automatic withdrawal to be made from their checking account. Worthless Prizes You can be sure you won't win any prize with a brand name, cash, or a government bond. Prizes such as jewelry and watches are junk, vacations are actually vacation certificates hardly worth the paper they're printed on, and shopping sprees amount to coupons that are good only when making purchases. Sales people sometimes try to get consumers to purchase overpriced products or services in order to claim the worthless prizes.
Water filters turn out to be little plastic discs.
Vitamins and cosmetics can be purchased at a local store for much less money. Credit card protection is often sold, but federal law already protects consumers against unauthorized charges on missing credit cards. Some telemarketers encourage people to buy pens or other products with anti-drug messages. Local schools and law enforcement can get that material elsewhere at a greatly reduced cost. The verifiable retail value of each prize.