Oprah Is Not Giving You Her Money

Beware! There’s an e-mail going around titled "Oprah Millionaire Contest Show." The message claims that you’ve been nominated to be on an Oprah episode during which a lucky audience member will receive a-milli. Then it asks the e-mail recipient for contact info.

The people chosen for the show are told they have to buy their own airline tickets to Chicago to appear on the program. See, now that would have been the first red flag to me, after years of hearing Oprah plug the Magnificent Mile and American Airlines. Ya’ll know she don’t make nobody fly on their own dime. Come on.

Anyway, the “chosen” are told to send the money for the travel and show tickets to the sender of the hoax e-mail.

The FBI says it’s a big ole scam. Now, did you really think Big O was just going to give out some money all willy-nilly?

Apparently, the sweepstakes scams are so prevalent, the folks at Oprah.com decided to devote a page to warning about them.

Put your thinking caps on folks while you’re in the Inbox… geez.