scam card
n. A game card — usually of the "scratch-and-win" variety — where a winner collects their prize by calling a 900 number, which ends up costing them an exorbitant sum on their phone bill.
Examples
1999
Re Postal carrier suspended: she won't deliver 'scam' cards (July 12).

I was appalled to read about letter carrier Pamela Cornell's refusal to carry "scam" scratch-and-win cards.
—James Knott, “Carriers cannot censor our mail,” The Toronto Star, July 19, 1999
1999
Scratch-and-win cards are printed by the millions and sent to doorsteps across the country, courtesy of Canada Post.

Almost all recipients are "winners" and urged to call a 900 number to claim their prize at a cost of about $ 3.99 a minute.
—“Letter carrier stamps out scam cards,” The Associated Press, July 11, 1999
1999 (earliest)
I make a conscientious effort to uphold those guidelines. The same cannot be said for the corporation's retail salespeople who sign distribution contracts with purveyors of scam cards. In agreeing to those contracts, Canada Post is in effect legitimizing and lending credibility to the products.
—Pamela Cornell, “Why I won't deliver sucker cards,” The Globe and Mail, June 24, 1999
Filed Under