By Timothy D. Naegele[1]

For many years, I have written about scams—all types, scopes and targets.[2].  They are only limited by one's sinister imagination; and they fleece Americans and others globally of their monies, with zero remorse.  The latest one involves Amtrak, and those who want to ride its trains.

Sadly, Amtrak's services were crippled by the Covid pandemic lockdowns, like so many other American businesses.  Now, as concerns about Covid mutations grow[3], Amtrak's reputation and employees are being damaged by this scam, whose architects must be incarcerated for decades.

The scam is described as follows:

Amtrak is running a promotion where all US residents can get a card for 1 dollar to ride trains for free for a year. . . .

Click on the "Read More" button and answer a few questions to get your card. . . .

Hurry . . . Limited quantities. . . .[4]

Its criminality has been described as follows:

If you are a frequent traveler, you may have heard of the Amtrak $1 Gift Card Giveaway Scam.  This is a fraudulent scheme that targets people who are looking for cheap deals on train tickets.  The scam promises to give you an Amtrak gift card worth $100 for only $1, but in reality, it is a trap that will cost you much more.[5]

Not only does such a scam hurt innocent victims, but it maligns the fine services provided by Amtrak and its dedicated employees on its Coast Starlight and other trains.

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© 2023, Timothy D. Naegele

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[1]  Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate's Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass).  See, e.g., Timothy D. Naegele Resume-21-8-6  and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/accomplishments/   He has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University.  He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal (see, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commendation_Medal#Joint_Service).  Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, and Who's Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/articles/ and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/articles/), and studied photography with Ansel Adams.  He can be contacted directly at tdnaegele.associates@gmail.com

[2]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/31/lawyers-and-internet-scams/ ("Lawyers And Internet Scams") and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2015/11/30/a-34-trillion-swindle-the-shame-of-global-warming/ ("A $34 Trillion Swindle: The Shame Of Global Warming") and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2019/09/27/wells-fargo-an-american-banking-nightmare/ ("Wells Fargo: An American Banking Nightmare")

[3]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2021/06/23/if-coronavirus-mutations-come-roaring-back-will-americans-listen-much-less-survive/ ("If Coronavirus Mutations Come Roaring Back, Will Americans Listen—Much Less Survive?")

[4]  See, e.g., https://www.facebook.com/100094990968784/posts/pfbid04DYGfTyF29Yw3yHuwEuAo4BepenDtZ9EDte5cfmdqa8rxbEQGs1RnUve1B5vFg3xl/?app=fbl and https://huzzcbp.info/via-rail-establishes-high-frequency-rail-project-office/63184.article/?utm_campaign=mZdPf3oz5s&utm_medium=%7B%7Bcampaign.name%7D%7D&utm_content=%7B%7Badset.name%7D%7D&utm_term=%7B%7Bad.name%7D%7D&fbclid=IwAR2UtbzZUDpRKOm4EX03-5pQd3jEOt18JfXIKhIvd9RYiZ_9VESyRzQn20k ("Super prize!")

[5]  See, e.g., https://malwaretips.com/blogs/amtrak-1-gift-card-giveaway-scam/ ("Amtrak $1 Gift Card Giveaway Scam: What You Need To Know!")