Oprah Winfrey has been generous with her studio
audiences, including the famed day when she pointed
to everyone there and proclaimed, "You're getting a
car!"
But she's not giving away $1 million, despite a spam
e-mail making the rounds. The FBI has issued a
warning that the "Oprah Millionaire Contest Show" e-
mail is a scam.
The message says the recipient has been nominated
to be on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," during which a
winner of the cash will be named. Then it asks
the "nominee" for contact information.
Those "chosen" for the show (probably anyone who
responds to the e-mail) are told that the next step is to
buy an airline or train ticket to Chicago for the
program. They even have to pay to get into the show.
Of course, the senders of the e-mail say to send the
money for the travel and show tickets to them. (See a
copy of the offending message at the scam-busting
website Snopes.com.)
Oprah.com, the official website of Winfrey's media
empire, has posted a warning that there are
several “sweepstakes scams” concerning the show,
and that no such program is scheduled.
Besides, although tickets to the show are tough to get,
they're free.
