"Be Wary of Taco Bell's Video Game/Console Oriented Giveaways!!!"

Today while I was out on the road I decided to stop by the local Taco Bell to pick up my usual special order of two beef burritos with no onions (can't stand onions with the meat O_o). While waiting in line at the drive-thru a large multi-sectioned sign captured my attention. It stated that if I were to buy a large soda (which I was going to do anyways), or a certain type of combo meal I'd get a chance at winning a $500 Gamestop giftcard. I thought to myself that it wasn't a bad deal since I was going to order a large soda anyways. I might even get lucky, and win one of those gift cards. Upon inspection of the cup containing the text code I noticed that it said there were 12 winners a day until sometime in mid-December, and that the giveaway/contest had begun yesterday. It also said in plain text that there were two ways to enter. One way was to text the code to a certain number, and the second method of entry was to enter the code via a specific website which was also listed in the legal lingo.

I got the code home later today, and went directly to the listed website to enter my code for a chance to win. As usual the site prompted me for my basic info (Address, Phone Number, Name ...) including my email address for the purpose of contacting me should I be chosen as a winner. Being the giveaway saavy man that I am I tried to register my info in hopes that I could possibly win. What happened instead was that my info was left hanging in limbo after which I was unable to follow through with my code. After a few tries I gave up on it, and returned to my evening activities only to return to my computer later in the evening to experience a blue screen crash. The first thing that crossed my mind was that Taco Bell's site might have been hacked. That, or either it was a scam altogether. Keep in mind that this isn't the first time Taco Bell has been caught scamming potential winners out of their winnings (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YYMA3O1iwM).

Pondering the whole idea of this supposed giveaway/contest makes me question the motives behind it. The amount of money Taco Bell would make from such a sales pitch could benefit them tremendously, and even more so if they were not giving away actual prizes, but merely "chances to win" instead. Word play can be manipulated to such point that as crooked as such a scheme would be it would still be considered legal. Imagine at at least $2 per soda the profit Taco Bell would be raking in. If a person were to go for the combo meal it would be even more. This is what has me leaning towards the contest/giveaway being a rigged scheme. For them to be giving away 12 $500 Gamestop gift cards a day until mid-December (Dec. 18th) they'd be losing their ass big time. It's hard to believe a lowly food chain such as Taco Bell could support such a massive contest/giveaway. Even when paired with Dr.Pepper (as they claim it is) it would still be hard for me to believe that any company, or food chain would invest that much of their earnings into such an event. The fact that the website isn't working only makes me doubt the legitimacy of the contest/giveaway even further.

Considering the Youtube video I shared with you, and it's contents pertaining to an earlier Taco Bell incident it's very easy to doubt Taco Bell's sincerity when it comes to their giveaways/contests. The fact is no one knows who won the prizes such as the PS4's that were supposedly given away in another Taco Bell oriented giveaway, and unless you are that person it is still mere speculation. The criminal mind can be quite ingenious when it comes to concocting ways to beat people out of their hard earned money. For example, I've had this ongoing theory about the lottery winners that you see on television. Suppose the lottery is a fully rigged event, and that the lottery holders know the winners personally, or through someone close. Imagine then that these winners are actually paid off with a cheaper prize to say that they won in order to keep the Lottery Holders' monetary intake flowing. No one would ever know the difference. How could you? I don't know a single lottery winner who I've seen win on television. I couldn't tell them from Adam, or Eve. Therein lies the predicament. If someone wins, but you don't know them, and can't see their earnings, did they actually win? Food for thought, huh? It all goes back to that metaphorical riddle, "If a tree falls in a forest, but there's no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?". Same deal different story.

The point I'm getting at is that even if Taco Bell were to provide you photos of the winners, and their names it would mean nothing. For all we know the supposed winners could be employees, or friends of the employees being paid a fraction of the prize value to keep quiet. While all this in itself is theory, and mere speculation what I've said holds a certain truth about it, and I think you can understand that. With the greed in the world today who's to say Taco Bell doesn't have a different agenda when it comes to their contests, and giveaways. All I can say to you is be wary of Taco Bell, and any other companies who are offering prizes that sound too good to be true. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.