Published September 13, 2000
“This story is extremely sad. Pass it along to everyone you know,” reads a typical hoax email. We’ve all received them. Hoaxsters want you to be their emissary of anger, dread, worry and fear. Why would friends do this to each other?
As you receive these, inform the acquaintance that they are a hoax; do not pass them along. Here are examples of hoaxes circulating the Internet:
Virus warnings: “If you receive a message called “Hello Good Buddy,” delete it immediately or it will do terrible things to your life.” Simply receiving an email does no harm at all to your computer or your life.
These are called “mind virii,” because they only infect your mind. They are deceptions. The perpetrators want you to endorse their false message “to all your contacts and relations.” Instead, give it a hearty laugh, and vanquish it into the digital never-land. Delete—poof!
Named celebrities are not participating in email message promotions. Companies like AOL, IBM and Disney don’t endorse these things, nor do the American Red Cross, American Heritage Foundation, or the Boy Scouts of America. Ignoring these frauds is not unpatriotic.
The American Cancer Society posted a statement on its web site that all chain letter emails naming it as a corporate sponsor are fraudulent.
Dialing 90# does not allow the last caller unlimited use to your phone number for long distance. Opening a document will not “wipe out your operating system.” Budweiser Frogs is not a screen saver that will crash your hard drive, nor will “the Internet get your password” as a consequence.
The ill, suffering, dying and dead: Braedon Hembree isn’t dying of cancer; he is alive and well. Several years ago he fought pneumonia and recovered. This email continues to circulate.
Little Jermaine Beerman and Anna Cohen will not separately receive a nickel from an unidentified “billionaire in California” for every email of theirs that is forward. Young Jada Cohen of Albany New York is not dying of “heart and lung problems.” And Kalin Relek is not a child dying in an Alabama hospital from a hit-and-run auto accident. These people don’t exist and these stories are hoaxes.
Kelsey Jones from Minnesota, cute picture attached, is not a missing child since October 1999.
No one named Amy Bruce, Amanda Bundy, or Eden Coldaro are dying of cancer, and the Make a Wish Foundation has no agreement to pay 7 cents for each name on some list.
American children along the Texas border are not being kidnapped into Mexico and surgically implanted with cocaine.
Pay phones in Minnesota are not laced with LSD and strychnine, and gas pumps are not affixed with hypodermic needles in Florida.
John Berrio did die in a traffic accident some years ago, but the details of it are exaggerated by an impostor claiming to be a member of the family.
Bad bananas from Costa Rica are not infecting our citizenry. The Center for Disease Control does not secretively distribute such warnings to anonymous messengers via private emails.
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), contrary to the false emails, does not use “synthetic chickens.”
Petitions must be processed in a specific manner. There is no such thing as a lawful email petition; they are worthless. Technologically, emails cannot be universally tracked or tabulated.
Afghanistan women are ill-treated by their government, but no benefit is generated by an email petition, even if the hoaxter claims the State Department needs your help.
PBS, NPR and NEA are not in danger of loosing their funding. The President of the United States will ever see an email petition nor will anyone in position of authority.
Internet use charges: Congress is not considering charging for each email sent. This topic is nearly five years old.
Business promotions: “Send to 13 people you know and you will receive a free prize.” This is a fraud. Contrary to statements by the sender, no mechanism exists to track this. Bath & Body Works, a non-existent company, will not send $50 for promoting their business to your friends. Abercrombie & Fitch is not gifting $5 for each person to whom you forward a hoax email.
The statement that “This is not a joke,” is very laughable. Being told “it’s for real,” does nothing to legitimize it as real. Only you can validate the claims made, and only if enough information is provided, should your interests be so inclined.
Verifiability of a suspected hoax is simple. Are these real people with real addresses and phone numbers from organizations with valid web addresses. Bills through Congress should site Senate or House numbers with names of the committees and Chairperson to contact. Fakes leave little real trails.
Nike is not giving away free shoes. Coca-Cola Corp. is not sending free cases of their beverages, nor is Nokia and Ericsson giving free cellphones for forwarded bogus messages.
Two of our greatest virtues are generosity and compassion. Delivering real benefits to others in need is a process of time, money, and skills devoted to a favorite cause or charity. Just sending emails to others won’t help. Many worthwhile humanitarian services, church organizations and government programs would be grateful for your charitable volunteerism. Buddy, can you spare a few hours of your time?
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Web Links:
American Cancer Society
Junk Busters
Make a Wish Foundation
Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Rotary International
Symantec Corp.
Urban Legends