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Viruses, Spam Prevention, Urban Legends, Hoaxes, Frauds

Please don't forward myths and legends.
starr.net's KeyBoard Help
 
Do a search on Google.com for key words, or look at the following pages:

Sending a copy of a cute message to one, two, or several friends is not a problem but sending an unconfirmed warning or plea to everyone you know, with the request that they also send it to everyone they know simply adds to the clutter already filling our mailboxes.

! 		Take the Boulder Pledge

" Under no circumstances will I ever purchase anything offered to me as the result of an unsolicited email message. Nor will I forward chain letters, petitions, mass mailings, or virus warnings to large numbers of others. This is my contribution to the survival of the online community."

The above is a simple part of the solution to the spam problem, devised by Roger Ebert at the Conference on World Affairs at the University of Colorado. (He announced this pledge in his column in Yahoo! Internet Life's December 1996 issue.)

WHEN IN DOUBT, Throw it out!
If it’s spam, it’s a scam!
Don't be taken in! It only takes a minute or two to find out about:
  • supposed virus alerts (even if the email says they're "confirmed by IBM, Microsoft, AOL and Oracle" etc) 
  • pending legislation, including email surcharges and taxes 
  • sick/dying/missing children who need email or prayers 
  • body part theft rings 
  • free vacation giveaways 
  • free money or products from Bill Gates (or Disney or AOL or Nokia or....) to those who forward the most emails 
  • foreign government workers who will pay you to let them move large sums of money through your bank account 
  • or any of hundreds of similar chain letters.
    • These are almost always hoaxes and scams. Keep that in mind the next time you get one of these in your email inbox.

last change: 2-2008