46.Readers Digest - scam or offer?

Some weeks ago Readers Digest wrote to warn me that an important letter would arrive and I should not ignore it.
Sure enough, within days a large envelope arrives. It was marked 'important', and 'approved release'. A sticker saying 'Urgent',and 'time-sensitive' was stuck on it at an angle - except that it was part of the envelope's printing - as was the 'postage stamp' and its cancellation. All along the back flap it was stamped 'secured' . By that time I was getting really excited.
In his enclosed letter Jeremy Jacobs, the Readers Digest finance director, told me that if I should win, anything from £250,000 down to one thousand prizes of £10 each, the provisional payment date was 14th August 2009.
There was no cost involved to me: a reply-paid addressed return envelope was enclosed for my response. Except that there were two envelopes: one, the 'YES' envelope, if I agree to examine, on 7 days' approval and with no obligation to buy, a marvellous book, for which Readers Digest are anticipating a high demand - 'it will be a best-seller'. Furthermore, if I said 'YES', I could also win a car.

I could hardly contain my excitement. In fairness, if all I wanted was to win one of the cash prizes, without buying the book, Readers Digest offered a response using the other envelope, marked 'NO'.

Readers Digest are on to a winner here: every 'YES' response is a book sale of £14.99 [plus postage], whereas all the 'NO' envelope can go straight in the shredder - unopened. And although all the prize money has been 'deposited in the bank', it might not all be won. Also, I'm being kept in the dark about the method of the prize draw, and there is no way of enquiring afterwards.

I'll let you know in a few days.