Ann Arbor school children played for suckers by Pepsi Co fundraising scheme: "

"...[T]hey put out flyers, talked to businesses, e-mailed, Facebooked, and Tweeted. They even partnered in recruiting online votes with the Saline school district, which was seeking a $25,000 grant for a greenhouse. Their efforts brought in enough votes to finish in twentieth place in December's balloting--but not enough to win any cash."

But the "good news" is that Pepsi automatically re-entered them into it's January contest. Sheesh. Hey kids! The bottom line on this kinda scam to is to always (always!) ask: "Who benefits?" If, after careful consideration, you conclude it ain't you, politely decline such dubious offers and move on to something more realistic.