You know how I sometimes get stuck on an idea and then pursue it until I have succeeded... well, I'm at it again. I seem to have gotten stuck on the idea of getting an LCD TV. They're expensive, but not out of reach. In fact, the only reason I'm not willing to buy one right now is that I don't know how to get it back to South Africa when we leave here next year. It's a problem, and I don't think it has a solid solution. So, in situations like this, I look for alternatives... I stumbled upon a scam yesterday when emailing a guy about an advert for a ridiculously underpriced LCD TV on an internet classifieds site. I emailed him asking if it was still available, and a few hours later got back an email saying that it was unfortunately sold but, being the nice guy he is, gave me the URL to the site he got it for free off of. I know of these types of sites... they've become the pyramid schemes of the internet, basically, and when you click the URL he has given you, it gives him an active referral, though you only seal the deal when you join as well (using only your email address, postal address, and name) and sign up for at least one of the offers available. The offers range from things you have to pay for, to the simplest of free £3.99/month trials with LoveFilm, for 14 days, which you can cancel after receiving your first DVD rental, and not have to pay a cent, or stay with it for as long as you like. It's your choice.

So it's a scam because he didn't have a TV in the first place, though it's a clever ploy to get people to click through to the link and, just as I did after investigating it further, sign up for a 14 day free trial. Though my intentions are to follow through with getting another 18 people to sign up against mine and then rake in a 32" LCD TV. The cons are the following:
- You have to be a UK resident (postal address).
- Only one person per house address can sign up.
- Can't have multiple sign-ups from the same IP address.
- For the LoveFilm one, you have to sign up for the free-trial and have at least 1 DVD delivered to you. It's your choice whether to continue with it after that, or cancel it at no cost to you.

Is it for real? It is. Well, I'm not the kind of person, as you know, who will go into things like this without doing some investigations. I have researched it, found proof through multiple sources, and decided to take the risk in pursuing it. What's the worst that can happen? There is no security risk because your credit card details are only given to LoveFilm (who are a huge UK based DVD rental company), and all it takes is time and trust. I need to find 18 people, all from different resident UK addresses, to trust me and do me a favour, and sign up for LoveFilm for a free two week trial, and
get me a free LCD TV.

The incentive... well, for anyone in the UK, more easily Edinburgh, I will host a party with free booze and free food for all the people who helped me out, directly or indirectly, sometime in the near future. More so, I am so convinced by it, if you do happen to go over your 14 days of free trial with LoveFilm, inadvertantly, I will refund you the first months payment that they take off your card, which is £3.99. What have you got to lose? What have you got to gain? Well, my friendship is one thing, but also the power of giving :-)

Check it out and, if you're a UK resident, follow the link through from this, sign up, and sign up for a LoveFilm free trial. It will take 5 minutes and you'll get a free DVD rental out of it. And it is free... there is no fine print. Let me know if you do it and I'll remind you near the end of your 14 days to cancel the subscription if you don't want it anymore.

Click here to check it out

Please. Keep it real. Cowabunga.

(Here is a picture describing the process)