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Matthew Lesko - Bio and References

Look up Matthew Lesko in Google and you'll find his many websites and a number of forums listing complaints about his misleading advertising.  But who IS Matthew Lesko?

Matthew Lesko's Biography

Matthew Lesko biograghy, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (March 2006)

Matthew Lesko (born 1943) is an American author and late-night television personality who has made a living telling people about how to get "free" money from the United States Government. He is popularly known as "that question mark guy" for the Riddler-like suit that he wears in his television commercials, infomercials, and interviews.
Lesko lives in Kensington, Maryland with his wife Wendy Schaetzel Lesko and their two sons, Max and Morgan. He grew up in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Lesko received his undergraduate degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee, then went to Vietnam as a navigator for the U.S. Navy. When Lesko returned he earned a master's degree in computer science from American University in Washington D.C.. He has claimed to be a columnist for
 The New York Times and to have researched government grants for over 25 years.

Lesko is best known for his wardrobe, specifically his colorful suit decorated with question marks. Lesko's appearances, hawking a chance at government grant money wearing the flamboyant outfit, has been described by one commentator as "a libertarian fashion designer's nightmare".

Lesko is named as number 99 in Bernard Goldberg's book, 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America.

Recently, Lesko has started appearing in commercials for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, selling Dangerdoom in a style similar to his own informercials.

Books

Matthew Lesko's company, Information USA, publishes several "reference" books including:

• Free Money to Change Your Life (ISBN 1878346407)
• Free College and Training Money For Women
• Free Stuff for Busy Moms! (ISBN 1878346490)
• Gobs and Gobs of Free Stuff (ISBN 1878346334)
• Free Money to Pay Your Bills
• Getting Yours
• Information USA.

All of his books contain information about how to get "free" money from the United States Government.  We don't recommend ANY of them, and therefore have no links to them.

More Information About Matthew Lesko from Others

Critiques:

• Better Business Bureau of Washington, D.C. Report 3/1/02
• Agency calls TV money man's claims deceptive"
• "Matthew Lesko: Selling a Scam?" 12/15/04

• Lesko is named as number 99 in Bernard Goldberg's book, 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America.

Entertainment only:

Thanks to Lesko's bizarre and obnoxious advertisements, a number of interviewers and programs focus on his odd personality; asking him no tough questions about his business practices. "Do you wear a question mark suit ALL of the time?"

• "Questions for Matthew Lesko, the Question Mark Man" - 9/29/05 Interview with Matthew Lesko - just fluff, the interview asks no tough questions.
• Matthew Lesko infomercial
• Washington City Paper interview with Matthew Lesko - Another easy interview that panders to Lesko, focusing on his question mark suits, without examining his deceptive advertising.

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Names used by scammers in the examples on this page and others often belong to real people and businesses who often have no knowledge of nor connection to the scammer's use of their name and information.  Sample scam emails and other documents are copies of the scam to help potential victims recognize and avoid it.  You should presume that any names used and presented here in a scam are either fictitious or used without their legitimate owner's permission.
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