# earth4energy.com--what sort of scam?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth4energy-com-what-sort-of-scam/509753>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 11, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth4energy-com-what-sort-of-scam/509753 "2009-09-11T23:09:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth4energy-com-what-sort-of-scam/509753/1 "2009-09-11T23:09:36Z")

</div>

This thing screams scam right in your face. Anyone know what the scam is? Or is it (big, fat chance) a real deal?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth4energy-com-what-sort-of-scam/509753/2 "2009-09-11T23:15:49Z")

</div>

You do have to send in $50 to get the kit.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Captain\_Awesome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Captain\_Awesome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Awesome)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth4energy-com-what-sort-of-scam/509753/3 "2009-09-11T23:27:57Z")

</div>

Could be real. But instructions are available [elsewhere](http://www.instructables.com/id/S9XYQ6TFKX1AIM4/) for less.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth4energy-com-what-sort-of-scam/509753/4 "2009-09-11T23:29:52Z")

</div>

It looks as though it consists of little more than the instructions on how you might be able to buy cheap, broken photovoltaic cells and solder them together to make them work again.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth4energy-com-what-sort-of-scam/509753/5 "2009-09-11T23:55:25Z")

</div>

Ugh. And when you try to leave the page, you get a browser hijack saying “wait, Wait, Wait! before you leave…!”