# Click Here to Win a Free X-BOX 360!!!!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/click-here-to-win-a-free-x-box-360/342960>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 4, 2006, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/click-here-to-win-a-free-x-box-360/342960 "2006-02-04T04:39:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![alehasfriends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@alehasfriends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alehasfriends)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/click-here-to-win-a-free-x-box-360/342960/1 "2006-02-04T04:39:46Z")

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Sometime’s I’ll be so bored surfing the internet (after checking the updates on the Straight Dope mind you) I find myself playing with those mini-game banners. You’ve seen them. Punch out Osama and win a PS3. I was wondering, do those things ever work? I know you have to agree to a few offers but is it worth it? Those things are always seen as jokes but has anyone ever tried it? Maybe it’s the opportunity for a bum like me to make it in the world.

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/click-here-to-win-a-free-x-box-360/342960/2 "2006-02-04T04:43:20Z")

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Well, I won’t go so far as to say they’re _all_ scams, ripoffs or empty comeons. However, my general experience is that the old maxim, “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is” goes double on the Internet.

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**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/click-here-to-win-a-free-x-box-360/342960/3 "2006-02-04T05:32:19Z")

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I was really bored one night, and somebody was offering a “Free” computer gaming system which looked really nice. So I decided to see what it would cost me.

First I had to take a “survey,” which basically asked "Would you like to try [product/service] for [discounted price]?

After about 10 pages of clicking “No” fifty times (did I mention I was bored, and persistent?), I get to the “end” where they tell me “On this page you must sign up for at least 3 products.” and lists about 20 different products. So I just click next, pretending I did it (after all they won’t be able to tell until afterwards) and I get the same page except this time I have to sign up for 6 products. So I pretend to and click next, and THIS time I have to sign up for 9 products. So all together you’d have to sign up for 18 of the 20 products, which ranged anywhere from “free” to “goddamned expensive.”

Then I click on the next, and they tell me “Congratulations! You now qualify for a free prize!” and give me a list of things to choose from. Except the computer system they advertised wasn’t included.

So to answer your question: no, probably not.