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Anyone seen this?


HTSwindell

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Sorry I don't post much, but I wanted to know if the original sender of this email was on the board. My aunt (who I went caching with once) sent this to me today. Seems like the guy (girl?) is trying to introduce more people to the hobby. The idea is neat, and I might try to help with the hunt in some capacity. I am just glad it is getting more attention and I would really like to see if the creator of this posts here.

 

 

Let’s Hunt for Treasure

 

So, a few years back, I stumbled upon what would become my new favorite hobby. It is called Geocaching and it isn’t your ordinary hobby. You get plenty of exercise, traverse the wilderness, learn a lot of new things, meet fellow geocachers, receive a treasure, and best of all: it is dirt cheap to get situated and free to do! It sounds like a glorified version of treasure hunting because bluntly, it is.

 

There are 3 types of Geocachers: those that hide the treasure, those that seek the treasure and those that do both. Those that hide caches have a bit of extra work. First they find a good, stealthy, and (most importantly) public place to hide their treasure in. Then, they figure out what the treasure’s coordinates are (longitude and latitude). After that, they go online and submit where to find the treasure (usually at http://www.geocaching.com). So, all you need is a GPS and your wits! (There are many cheap handhelds you can find at an outdoor store, but I personally use a free app for my phone that works perfectly – and there is an app for every smart phone...so this hobby can literally be free).

 

The seekers have it easy. They simply create an account on http://www.geocaching.com, plug in their zip code, and begin searching through the hundreds of caches in their area that they can attempt to find. The problem is, sometimes the hunt itself isn’t so easy. There could be treacherous terrain, rivers to cross, mountains to climb, trees to curse at, and even very hard riddles to solve. Sometimes the hunt is as simple as typing in the given coordinates, trusting your GPS is giving you the right spot, and using your instincts to figure out where the cache is hidden. Caches can be tiny, very large and sometimes very well hidden (fake rocks, sprinkler heads, grates...I have even seen one behind an elevated road reflector!). But sometimes the caches are incredibly challenging with multiple steps over a number of days.

 

A lot of times, the treasure is a log-book that you can sign to prove you solved the puzzle. You can then log it into your account online and show everyone that you found the cache. But many times, there will be a reward in the cache. The easier ones usually give you SWAG (stuff we all get) such as little trinkets, toys, coins, games, CD’s, etc…I have done harder ones, however, that hold some pretty valuable things (found a pretty nice ring in one). Some caches will even have things called Travel Bugs that are meant to go around the world from cache to cache. The possibilities with this hobby are limitless (there are currently around 1 million caches in the world), and I insist you visit http://www.geocaching.com to read up on every fun aspect of this wonderful hobby.

 

 

That being said, I want everyone to have the opportunity to learn about this and see if it is right for them. I want this email to spread like wildfire to cachers and soon-to-be-cachers alike.

 

And to top things off, I want to create a geocache so extensive that it will set the standard for these kinds of treasure hunts in the future. The hunt will be long, fun and ultimately very rewarding. There will be multiple locations, clues, riddles, puzzles and objects you will need to complete to get through each step. I will need to solicit the help of anyone willing to aide in the creation of this massive hunt.

 

I will also need any kind of donation from you to help make this work. The more we receive, the better we can refine the hunt. Most of the money will go towards the resources used to create the hunt (clues, containers, puzzles, riddles) but there will be a main, very worth-while reward for the penultimate treasure. A portion of the resources (not for the clues) will go towards the significance of the final treasure. So in other words, the more you donate, the bigger and better this hunt will be! The unused donations will go towards geocaching.com and towards a charity that the first person to find the treasure chooses.

 

Each person that donates will be placed on a mailing list that will provide constant updates on the progress of the hunt. You will also be able to provide any kind of input or suggestion into this undertaking. Once the ball gets rolling, I am going to setup a website that will provide a forum for everyone to talk about this particular cache, and count down the days until it goes live. Each donator will be given an account on this forum to discuss hunt in detail!

 

Like I mentioned earlier, I will need help setting this up. So if you choose not to be a seeker, and rather a hider, then please email me your intentions with the creation of this hunt.

 

 

You certainly are not required to donate any money to become a geocacher, and getting this email out to as many people as possible is just as great for the exposure of this wonderful hobby! However, if you would like to donate to this treasure hunt (and even a dollar helps) then please use this link via paypal:

 

(P.S. - you could also email me if you have unwanted supplies that could be put to use for the hunt)

 

[PayPal link and sender's email address deleted by moderator]

 

I look forward to hearing from all of you, and hope that you send this email and let everyone you know about this amazing hobby!

 

Happy Hunting!

 

- Trace

Edited by Keystone
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I will also need any kind of donation from you to help make this work. The more we receive, the better we can refine the hunt. Most of the money will go towards the resources used to create the hunt (clues, containers, puzzles, riddles) but there will be a main, very worth-while reward for the penultimate treasure. A portion of the resources (not for the clues) will go towards the significance of the final treasure. So in other words, the more you donate, the bigger and better this hunt will be! The unused donations will go towards geocaching.com and towards a charity that the first person to find the treasure chooses.

 

Each person that donates will be placed on a mailing list that will provide constant updates on the progress of the hunt. You will also be able to provide any kind of input or suggestion into this undertaking. Once the ball gets rolling, I am going to setup a website that will provide a forum for everyone to talk about this particular cache, and count down the days until it goes live. Each donator will be given an account on this forum to discuss hunt in detail!

 

Like I mentioned earlier, I will need help setting this up. So if you choose not to be a seeker, and rather a hider, then please email me your intentions with the creation of this hunt.

 

 

You certainly are not required to donate any money to become a geocacher, and getting this email out to as many people as possible is just as great for the exposure of this wonderful hobby! However, if you would like to donate to this treasure hunt (and even a dollar helps) then please use this link via paypal:

 

(P.S. - you could also email me if you have unwanted supplies that could be put to use for the hunt)

 

[PayPal link and sender's email address deleted by moderator]

 

I look forward to hearing from all of you, and hope that you send this email and let everyone you know about this amazing hobby!

 

Happy Hunting!

 

- Trace

 

notthis.jpg

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Seems like the sender is asking for your money. This is just so wrong, and it might even be illegal (sounds kind of like some kind of gambling or Ponzi scheme!)

 

Sorry I don't post much, but I wanted to know if the original sender of this email was on the board. My aunt (who I went caching with once) sent this to me today. Seems like the guy (girl?) is trying to introduce more people to the hobby. The idea is neat, and I might try to help with the hunt in some capacity. I am just glad it is getting more attention and I would really like to see if the creator of this posts here.

 

 

Let’s Hunt for Treasure

 

So, a few years back, I stumbled upon what would become my new favorite hobby. It is called Geocaching and it isn’t your ordinary hobby. You get plenty of exercise, traverse the wilderness, learn a lot of new things, meet fellow geocachers, receive a treasure, and best of all: it is dirt cheap to get situated and free to do! It sounds like a glorified version of treasure hunting because bluntly, it is.

 

There are 3 types of Geocachers: those that hide the treasure, those that seek the treasure and those that do both. Those that hide caches have a bit of extra work. First they find a good, stealthy, and (most importantly) public place to hide their treasure in. Then, they figure out what the treasure’s coordinates are (longitude and latitude). After that, they go online and submit where to find the treasure (usually at http://www.geocaching.com). So, all you need is a GPS and your wits! (There are many cheap handhelds you can find at an outdoor store, but I personally use a free app for my phone that works perfectly – and there is an app for every smart phone...so this hobby can literally be free).

 

The seekers have it easy. They simply create an account on http://www.geocaching.com, plug in their zip code, and begin searching through the hundreds of caches in their area that they can attempt to find. The problem is, sometimes the hunt itself isn’t so easy. There could be treacherous terrain, rivers to cross, mountains to climb, trees to curse at, and even very hard riddles to solve. Sometimes the hunt is as simple as typing in the given coordinates, trusting your GPS is giving you the right spot, and using your instincts to figure out where the cache is hidden. Caches can be tiny, very large and sometimes very well hidden (fake rocks, sprinkler heads, grates...I have even seen one behind an elevated road reflector!). But sometimes the caches are incredibly challenging with multiple steps over a number of days.

 

A lot of times, the treasure is a log-book that you can sign to prove you solved the puzzle. You can then log it into your account online and show everyone that you found the cache. But many times, there will be a reward in the cache. The easier ones usually give you SWAG (stuff we all get) such as little trinkets, toys, coins, games, CD’s, etc…I have done harder ones, however, that hold some pretty valuable things (found a pretty nice ring in one). Some caches will even have things called Travel Bugs that are meant to go around the world from cache to cache. The possibilities with this hobby are limitless (there are currently around 1 million caches in the world), and I insist you visit http://www.geocaching.com to read up on every fun aspect of this wonderful hobby.

 

 

That being said, I want everyone to have the opportunity to learn about this and see if it is right for them. I want this email to spread like wildfire to cachers and soon-to-be-cachers alike.

 

And to top things off, I want to create a geocache so extensive that it will set the standard for these kinds of treasure hunts in the future. The hunt will be long, fun and ultimately very rewarding. There will be multiple locations, clues, riddles, puzzles and objects you will need to complete to get through each step. I will need to solicit the help of anyone willing to aide in the creation of this massive hunt.

 

I will also need any kind of donation from you to help make this work. The more we receive, the better we can refine the hunt. Most of the money will go towards the resources used to create the hunt (clues, containers, puzzles, riddles) but there will be a main, very worth-while reward for the penultimate treasure. A portion of the resources (not for the clues) will go towards the significance of the final treasure. So in other words, the more you donate, the bigger and better this hunt will be! The unused donations will go towards geocaching.com and towards a charity that the first person to find the treasure chooses.

 

Each person that donates will be placed on a mailing list that will provide constant updates on the progress of the hunt. You will also be able to provide any kind of input or suggestion into this undertaking. Once the ball gets rolling, I am going to setup a website that will provide a forum for everyone to talk about this particular cache, and count down the days until it goes live. Each donator will be given an account on this forum to discuss hunt in detail!

 

Like I mentioned earlier, I will need help setting this up. So if you choose not to be a seeker, and rather a hider, then please email me your intentions with the creation of this hunt.

 

 

You certainly are not required to donate any money to become a geocacher, and getting this email out to as many people as possible is just as great for the exposure of this wonderful hobby! However, if you would like to donate to this treasure hunt (and even a dollar helps) then please use this link via paypal:

 

(P.S. - you could also email me if you have unwanted supplies that could be put to use for the hunt)

 

[PayPal link and sender's email address deleted by moderator]

 

I look forward to hearing from all of you, and hope that you send this email and let everyone you know about this amazing hobby!

 

Happy Hunting!

 

- Trace

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This seems to good to be true....I got the same feeling as I did when someone offered to put $1,000,000.00 in my bank account and pay me $25,000.00. All I had to do was send my bank details.......

It could be legit, if it is, all I would send would be cache containers. I would rather send money to the charities handling relief efforts in Haiti right now, however.

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Color me skeptical. How big of a deal can one cache be? If the "treasure" really is valuable and awards a grand prize to the FTF, it's going to still be a lottery in that you will have to be close to it to have a chance. That is if it's a real thing. Did I mention I was skeptical?

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At best it's an eager player trying to get help setting up something really great(and probably breaking the rules in the process), at worst it's a scam just to get people to send money for nothing.

 

Fairly sure that it's a SCAM. I wouldn't respond, donate, or forward that email. I WOULD contact Groundspeak with all the details so they can be aware, and make sure that there are no legal implications for them if people fall for this. I trust that they are already aware now, and may have already contacted you.

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IMHO......

 

This sounds like a scam created by a convict sitting in a prison somewhere.

 

As they don't really have too much to do, they have lots of time to create these fleece jobs, and lots of time to research to make it sound oh so super-good.

 

Of course, the money doesn't go directly to them, it goes to somebody on the "outside" who is in cahoots.

To make matters even better, when released from the joint, they either continue the scam, or sell it to somebody else still incarcerated. In the latter case, minor things are changed to make it appear to be something new and different.

 

Have seen a fair number of cons that would kill you for a nickle seem like the sweetest person in the world while perpetrating these scams.

 

BEWARE!

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I thought this was great until the 7th paragraph and the word "donation" popped up. After that it became a scam.

 

I sent an email...I'll keep you updated.

 

@luckless...that's funny because my first name is very close to Harass (so Harass Swindle)

 

I err on the side of caution with this one but a part of me wishes this to be true. I was always a fan of those "Treasure Trove" books so this would kind of come close to that. I would never donate until gc.com legitimized it (sorry I shouldn't have posted details, just the email) but the prospect of it brought me to post it here (I usually just browse).

 

I guess I am at that stage of caching where I get giddy about this stuff!

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Geocaching has grown so large it is not a surprise that someone would use it as a possible source for scams. I have noticed it with other hobbies especially as those hobbies have made a large presence on the internet. I mentioned somewhere else that I suspected (but couldn't confirm) that ammo boxes were being stolen from cache sites and likely being sold on craigslists, ebay, etc.

 

This will not be the last either. Something that is just a part of normal life these days....being aware of questionable emails. I wonder when someone from "Nigeria" will try to send me an email saying a won the 'geocaching' lottery...LOL.

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using the word "treasure" so often

 

Yes, this is telling. Even if the email comes from someone who is quite sincere in their intent, they haven't grasp what geocaching is.

 

I've found a high correlation between a heavy emphasis on prizes and treasure and a low understanding of the listing guidelines or the nature of the game. Fun! it's fun! the treasure is the journey, the discovery. It's not the swag.

 

Invariably when listings come up with much ado about prizes they involve schemes that require registration elsewhere, or purchases or other kinds of commercial tie-ins, or wide flung caches with no maintenance plan, or no gps use (clues! it's got clues!), or cache series in National Wildlife Refuges ('cause it's so cool, and nobody else had the brains to put a cache there) or other Off Limits locations.

 

They are either commercial, or not geocaching, and rather often, not legal.

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HT, sounds like you're just the kind of person this email was designed to take advantage of. And the way that the response is almost 100% telling you this is a scam, and yet you still think it could be real, I'm kind of sceptical that you might not be a part of it yourself.

 

A hint - don't send the email out to anyone else. If they complain to Groundspeak about someone sending around scam emails, it might just be you that loses your membership.

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I wouldn't touch this one with a 10 foot hiking pole.

From the tone, it sure sounds like they have no idea what geocaching really is, and all they want is your money.

Exactly. The writer told on himself when he incorporated language indicative of someone who has never played the game, but rather, has simply read a few poorly written news articles about it. If you insist on buying into this silliness by replying, ask him/her what their geocaching nickname is, and post it here, if they respond. I'd like to know who it is that is trying to scam cachers.

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Geocaching has grown so large it is not a surprise that someone would use it as a possible source for scams. I have noticed it with other hobbies especially as those hobbies have made a large presence on the internet. I mentioned somewhere else that I suspected (but couldn't confirm) that ammo boxes were being stolen from cache sites and likely being sold on craigslists, ebay, etc.

 

This will not be the last either. Something that is just a part of normal life these days....being aware of questionable emails. I wonder when someone from "Nigeria" will try to send me an email saying a won the 'geocaching' lottery...LOL.

 

 

"I want to create a geocache so extensive that it will set the standard for these kinds of treasure hunts in the future."... yeah, in Nigeria!! :lol:

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HT, sounds like you're just the kind of person this email was designed to take advantage of. And the way that the response is almost 100% telling you this is a scam, and yet you still think it could be real, I'm kind of sceptical that you might not be a part of it yourself.

 

A hint - don't send the email out to anyone else. If they complain to Groundspeak about someone sending around scam emails, it might just be you that loses your membership.

 

That's the spirit....just accuse everyone else they are part of it. Do you have any proof (aka facts) if you are going to call someone specifically out on this. Because if you do, be aware that is many states that is libel if you accuse without proof or facts of such. I'm sure that if the OP or whomever you accuse of it, reported such a post...it would get YOU removed from the site (being that it's illegal).

Edited by TheWeatherWarrior
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That's the spirit....just accuse everyone else they are part of it. Do you have any proof (aka facts) if you are going to call someone specifically out on this. Because if you do, be aware that is many states that is libel if you accuse without proof or facts of such. I'm sure that if the OP or whomever you accuse of it, reported such a post...it would get YOU removed from the site (being that it's illegal).

Well, luckily there's no accusation that could be considered such from a legal standpoint, only a statement that the poster is skeptical of someone. If I say I'm worried that my brother might be on drugs, it's not an accusation(from a legal standpoint).

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That's the spirit....just accuse everyone else they are part of it. Do you have any proof (aka facts) if you are going to call someone specifically out on this. Because if you do, be aware that is many states that is libel if you accuse without proof or facts of such. I'm sure that if the OP or whomever you accuse of it, reported such a post...it would get YOU removed from the site (being that it's illegal).

Well, luckily there's no accusation that could be considered such from a legal standpoint, only a statement that the poster is skeptical of someone. If I say I'm worried that my brother might be on drugs, it's not an accusation(from a legal standpoint).

Yes, just a slippery slope, and one folks should be careful of. His post though may not be 'illegal', but it certainly seemed inconsiderate and borderline reportable to me (granted I'm no expert either, nor a whinny reporter either).

Edited by TheWeatherWarrior
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That's the spirit....just accuse everyone else they are part of it. Do you have any proof (aka facts) if you are going to call someone specifically out on this. Because if you do, be aware that is many states that is libel if you accuse without proof or facts of such. I'm sure that if the OP or whomever you accuse of it, reported such a post...it would get YOU removed from the site (being that it's illegal).

Well, luckily there's no accusation that could be considered such from a legal standpoint, only a statement that the poster is skeptical of someone. If I say I'm worried that my brother might be on drugs, it's not an accusation(from a legal standpoint).

Yes, just a slippery slope, and one folks should be careful of. His post though may not be 'illegal', but it certainly seemed inconsiderate and borderline reportable to me (granted I'm no expert either, nor a whinny reporter either).

The irony is palpable.
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"Most of the money will go towards the resources used to create the hunt (clues, containers, puzzles, riddles)"

 

So, since when did clues, puzzles and riddles cost money? He said "containers", I was under the impression that he was wanting to do one big hide, unless of course it's a multi. and even then you're talking about less than $20 worth of containers.

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That's the spirit....just accuse everyone else they are part of it. Do you have any proof (aka facts) if you are going to call someone specifically out on this. Because if you do, be aware that is many states that is libel if you accuse without proof or facts of such. I'm sure that if the OP or whomever you accuse of it, reported such a post...it would get YOU removed from the site (being that it's illegal).

Well, luckily there's no accusation that could be considered such from a legal standpoint, only a statement that the poster is skeptical of someone. If I say I'm worried that my brother might be on drugs, it's not an accusation(from a legal standpoint).

Yes, just a slippery slope, and one folks should be careful of. His post though may not be 'illegal', but it certainly seemed inconsiderate and borderline reportable to me (granted I'm no expert either, nor a whinny reporter either).

 

Could I report you for accusing me of being the wrong gender? Its HER post, not HIS post. I did not accuse anyone of anything, anymore than anyone else on here has accused the writer of the given 'email' of a scam. The only difference is that mine was directed at a username.

 

Am not here to get into fights with anyone, and not to cause distress to anyone. Just trying to enhance my caching experience via the forums. If any offense is taken - apologies. But it hasn't changed my opinion. Either the original poster is on the very extreme end of being naive, or they may well be a part of the scam trying to entice other naive people to participate..... or they're just trying to stir up those on the forums.

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It would be interesting to try and match up the sender with a geocaching account.

 

I'll give "Trace", the creator of the email, the benefit of the doubt and say it's not actually some scheme to defraud anyone. The email suggests that the person probably doesn't have very good judgment and my prediction is that the the whole idea will probably just fizzle out. I doubt that very many people (regardless of their knowledge of geocaching) would be inclined to "donate" to an idea like this.

 

I'm going to guess that this person is relatively new to geocaching and has ambitions of creating some kind of wonderful puzzle/series of caches but doesn't really know what they are doing at all. I bet they have a small number of finds and are itching to create their own wonderful creation.

 

I'd be interested to know how the scheme plays out. I bet it would be like rubber-necking at a car accident.

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It would be interesting to try and match up the sender with a geocaching account.

 

I'll give "Trace", the creator of the email, the benefit of the doubt and say it's not actually some scheme to defraud anyone. The email suggests that the person probably doesn't have very good judgment and my prediction is that the the whole idea will probably just fizzle out. I doubt that very many people (regardless of their knowledge of geocaching) would be inclined to "donate" to an idea like this.

 

I'm going to guess that this person is relatively new to geocaching and has ambitions of creating some kind of wonderful puzzle/series of caches but doesn't really know what they are doing at all. I bet they have a small number of finds and are itching to create their own wonderful creation.

 

I'd be interested to know how the scheme plays out. I bet it would be like rubber-necking at a car accident.

 

That sums up my take on the issue.

Thanks for reading!

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