Internet hoax / chain letters are e-mail messages written with one purpose: to be sent to everyone you know. The messages they contain are usually untrue. A few of the sympathy messages do describe a real situation. However, that situation was resolved years ago so the message is not valid and has not been valid for many years. These emails try to get you to pass them on to everyone you know using several different methods of social engineering. Most of the hoax messages play on your need to help other people. Who wouldn't want to warn their friends about some terrible virus that is destroying people's systems? Or, how could you not want to help this poor little girl who is about to die from cancer? It is hard to say no to these messages when you first see them.

Chain letters use a slightly different method of coercing you into passing them on to everyone you know. Chain letters, like their printed ancestors, generally offer luck or money if you send them on. They play on your fear of bad luck and the realization that it is almost trivial for you to send them on. The chain letters that deal in money play on people's greed and are illegal no matter what they say in the letter.

Some humorous truisms of cyber-mail

1. Big companies don't do business via chain letter. Bill Gates is not giving you $1,000, and Disney is not giving you a free vacation. There is no baby food company issuing class-action checks. You can relax; there is no need to pass it on "just in case it's true". Furthermore, just because someone said in the message, four generations back, that "we checked it out and it's legit", does not actually make it true.

2. There is no kidney theft ring in New Orleans. No one is waking up in a bathtub full of ice, even if a friend of a friend swears it happened to their cousin. If you are hell-bent on believing the kidney-theft ring stories, please see: http://urbanlegends.tqn.com/library/weekly/aa062997.htm

The National Kidney Foundation has repeatedly issued requests for actual victims of organ thieves to come forward and tell their stories. None have." That's "none" as in "zero". Not even your friend's cousin.

3. Neiman Marcus doesn't really sell a $200 cookie recipe. And even if they do, we all have it. And even if you don't, you can get a copy at: http://www.bl.net/forwards/cookie.html

Then, if you make the recipe, decide the cookies are that awesome, feel free to pass the recipe on.

4. Even if the latest NASA rocket disaster DID contain plutonium that went to particulate over the eastern seaboard, do you REALLY think this information would reach the public via an AOL chain-letter?

5. There is no "Good Times" virus. In fact, you should never, ever, ever forward any email containing any virus warning unless you first confirm it at an actual site of an actual company that actually deals with viruses. Try: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/  or    http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html  

6. Craig Shergold in England is not dying of cancer or anything else at this time and would like everyone to stop sending him their business cards. He is also no longer a "little boy" either. He is now cancer free and over 35 years old.

So, remember:

	You will NOT get bad luck, lose your friends, or lose your mailing lists if you DON'T forward an email!
	Ford will NOT give you a 50% discount even if you forward my e-mail to more than 50 people!
	You will NEVER receive gift certificates, coupons, or freebies from Coca Cola, Cracker Barrel, Old Navy, or anyone else if you send an e-mail to 10 people.
	There is NO SUCH THING as an e-mail tracking program, and you are not dumb enough to think that someone will send you $100 for forwarding an e-mail to 10 or more people!
	The government does not have a bill in Congress called 901B (or whatever they named it this week) that, if passed, will enable them to charge us 5 cents for every e-mail we send.
	And finally, the American Red Cross will NOT donate 50 cents to a certain individual dying of some never-heard-of disease for every e-mail address you send this them. The American Red Cross RECEIVES donations.

Resources:

http://www.vmyths.com/
http://www.snopes2.com/
http://www.ciac.org/ciac/
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/
http://www.urbanlegends.com/
http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/
http://www.datafellows.com/news/hoax/
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html

Contributed by:
Alex Dourov - Microsoft Certified Professional
Utkaduck Design Internet Services