# I Hvae Received a "CodeKase" LCD Display In My Mailbox-What To Do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 25, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613 "2012-01-25T17:25:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/1 "2012-01-25T17:25:48Z")
It is a plastic oval, with a window that displays a 7 digit number. If you Google ColdKase, you find that it is a direct mail communications company. But no clue as to the function of this thing in my mailbox. Does it allow me to enter a lottery? There was nothing with it, explaining what it is all about. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/2 "2012-01-25T21:12:43Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > There was nothing with it, explaining what it is all about. Then I’m going to have to say that someone screwed up. From their [web site](http://www.codekase.com/Home.htm): > [@](#): > > Use CodeKase™ to instruct recipients that they may have won a prize! Drive traffic on a specific date to your store, dealership, casino or other store front to see if their 7 digit code matches the winning code. Without telling you where to go, I don’t see much use in it. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/3 "2012-01-25T22:05:58Z")
It’s a trap! ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/4 "2012-01-26T14:17:59Z")
I think I just found a use for all those broken SecurID tokens. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/5 "2012-01-26T14:47:13Z")
Moved Cafe Society --\> MPSIMS. ---
**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:** [January 26, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/6 "2012-01-26T14:56:40Z")
Seems like the stupidest, most over-engineered way possible of sending someone a hidden seven digit number. What does this do that a scratchcard can’t? ---
**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:** [January 26, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/7 "2012-01-26T14:57:47Z")
And I love that the ‘How It Works’ page of the site says nothing at all about… you know… _how it works_. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/8 "2012-01-26T16:15:18Z")
It was loose, in your mailbox, not in an envelope? It’s common internet knowledge (i.e., may or may not be true) that it’s illegal to put non-mail in a mailbox. Let your postmaster know. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/9 "2012-01-26T16:43:23Z")
It’s spies. It’s _always_ spies. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/10 "2012-01-26T17:23:34Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > It’s spies. > > It’s _always_ spies. But it is never, ever, lupus. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/11 "2012-01-26T17:31:48Z")
It might be a terrorist bomb – report them to Homeland Security – perhaps they will be rendited or waterboarded or whatever it is that is done to terrorists that instead should be done to junk mailers and telemarketers. ---
**Author:** ![\_Gecko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/c6cbf5/32.png) [@\_Gecko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Gecko)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/12 "2012-07-14T22:47:02Z")
The thing is nothing more than an LED and two batteries. The number printed on the ‘screen’ is the same on every single one, of course, so is the number on the card the thing should have been attached to, and the scratchoff. They’re not gonna pay for unique numbers, that would cost too much to print. See one gutted; [http://imgur.com/a/5YPHL](http://imgur.com/a/5YPHL) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/13 "2012-07-15T05:51:54Z")
> [@\_Gecko](#): > > The thing is nothing more than an LED and two batteries. The number printed on the ‘screen’ is the same on every single one, of course, so is the number on the card the thing should have been attached to, and the scratchoff. They’re not gonna pay for unique numbers, that would cost too much to print. > > See one gutted; > [http://imgur.com/a/5YPHL](http://imgur.com/a/5YPHL) If you can remove the batteries they might be of some use in other devices, however, it looks like they might be welded onto the wires. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/14 "2012-07-15T11:06:06Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > It might be a terrorist bomb – report them to Homeland Security – perhaps they will be rendited or waterboarded or whatever it is that is done to terrorists that instead should be done to junk mailers and telemarketers. Report it to Boston PD. They freaked out over a Lite Brite. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/15 "2012-07-15T17:04:15Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Report it to Boston PD. They freaked out over a Lite Brite. Well, they really wanted a [Vertibird](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSQQo5S5yd0&feature=player_detailpage#t=14s) for Xmas instead… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/16 "2012-07-15T17:57:50Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Seems like the stupidest, most over-engineered way possible of sending someone a hidden seven digit number. What does this do that a scratchcard can’t? This. At least the [CueCat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CueCat) _did_ something… ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/17 "2012-07-15T18:08:33Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Seems like the stupidest, most over-engineered way possible of sending someone a hidden seven digit number. What does this do that a scratchcard can’t? It has “perceived value.” At least, for morons who don’t recognize what it really is. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/18 "2012-07-15T20:32:38Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Then I’m going to have to say that someone screwed up. To be fair, nothing coming with it is a scenario covered by their “[what to do](http://codekase.com/how-to-use-codekase/)” section: > [@](#): > > Step One: Pull the tab on CodeKase™ > > Please make sure to keep the attached mailpiece ( **if not attached to a mailpiece please skip to Step Five** ). > > Step Five: Recycle Your CodeKase™ > > Please recycle CodeKase™ and the attached mailer. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/19 "2012-07-16T03:15:53Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > This. At least the [CueCat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CueCat) _did_ something… Still does. I have one that I use to scan ISBNs into Readerware. (Well, I haven’t in a while, but someday, once more .. it’d be nice to get out of the Cs.) ---
**Author:** ![User5626](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/8797f3/32.png) [@User5626](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/User5626)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613/20 "2012-07-24T19:25:50Z")
> [@\_Gecko](#): > > The thing is nothing more than an LED and two batteries. The number printed on the ‘screen’ is the same on every single one, of course, so is the number on the card the thing should have been attached to, and the scratchoff. They’re not gonna pay for unique numbers, that would cost too much to print. > > See one gutted; > [http://imgur.com/a/5YPHL](http://imgur.com/a/5YPHL) Not true. There are unique numbers and someone just won $10,000 from getting one in the mail. See story here: [CodeKase](http://codekase.com/in-news/) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hvae-received-a-codekase-lcd-display-in-my-mailbox-what-to-do/610613.md?page=2)