Internet Hoaxes and Spam
By Elizabeth Alldridge
I just opened my e-mail, and it looks like I may have won one million dollars. I am so excited! The instructions tell me to contact their Director of Funds. I just need to send them $200 in processing fees, and they will send me my money. What could be easier?
I have another e-mail telling me that Applebee’s® is doing some research and wants to send me a $50 gift card if I forward the e-mail to 25 of my close friends. I like Applebee’s®. I could forward the message easily.
Become Savvy About Hoaxes
Have you seen messages like these in your e-mail? The two I mentioned above, and many others like them, are hoaxes. And what about the dying child who wants to get into the Guinness Book of World Records® for the most get-well cards? It’s also a hoax.
What is a hoax? Clearly defined, a hoax is an act created to deceive and to defraud. A hoax is usually a scam intended to prey on your fears and sometimes deprive you of money. The most dangerous thing about a hoax is that it may have several components that make it seem believable. For example, there may be some truth to it, or it may address something you think you know about. It may touch your fears.
Most e-mail hoaxes are generally harmless, but they do clog up e-mail inboxes. Next time, before you forward a message to your friends, think twice about it. Check the details of the e-mail by using a reputable site that offers information about hoaxes. Check one of the following sites to identify and avoid hoaxes:
Hoaxbusters: Visit www.hoaxbusters.ciac.org. This site has categories to help you find a hoax and details about the hoax. They also have a category for e-mails that appear to be hoaxes but are actually true.
Snopes: Snopes is an urban legend reference dictionary that will classify e-mail missives as true, false, or unverifiable. Select the e-mail category from the list at www.snopes.com, or just search using key words. For example, a search for “Free Applebee’s® Gift Card” reveals that this promotion is, indeed, a hoax.
Hoax-Slayer: Like the above sites, www.hoax-slayer.com allows you to search by category for supposed e-mail offers or stories. Concerning the Applebee’s® offer, Hoax-Slayer offers this commentary: “If you visit the Applebee's® Website you will generally receive the following message in a pop-up window: A fraudulent email chain message promising Applebee's® gift certificates for forwarding the message is currently making its way around the Internet. The message promises a gift certificate and a confirmation number after forwarding the message to a specific number of e-mail addresses. Applebee's® International, Inc. does not sponsor or endorse this activity and is unable to fulfill these requests.”
Phishing for Information: This term, a variant on “fishing,” refers to the e-mail practice of soliciting personal information. If you receive an e-mail that instructs you to input personal information like passwords or address updates, especially from an unfamiliar source, delete it. It’s just bait to catch uninformed computer users’ information.
Mode of Address: Most actual communiqués, such as ones from PayPal, will address you by name. Promotional offers addressed to “Dear Member” should generally be disregarded as spam or a fake offer. No matter how the e-mail is addressed, however, always use discretion before passing along personal information.
Viruses and Bad Luck
Hoax e-mails sometimes carry viruses that can harm your computer. Opening such an attachment and running the file may make your computer susceptible to viruses. Most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have software available to scan incoming e-mails. Choose an ISPs that scans your messages for viruses. For example, Yahoo! Mail scans each downloaded document for viruses before allowing you to open it. What about the e-mail that promises bad luck if you don’t forward the message to ten people within six minutes? Or the one telling you to forward the message to ten people and you will see something really good happen? Do you remember chain letters? These e-mails are similar to chain letters. They don’t work. Nothing “cool” will happen when you forward the message. No one is counting your forwards or checking to see if you deleted a message. In fact, Hoax-Slayer adds, “[H]oaxes that claim a forwarded e-mail is being tracked in some way… [are] pure nonsense. Legitimate organizations do not and would not track particular e-mail forwards across cyberspace.” So don’t let missives of bad luck frighten you; ignore these messages as soon as you see them.
What About Spam?
E-mail spam, also known as junk e-mail or bulk e-mail, has no resemblance to the kind you purchase in the grocery store. Spam is unsolicited commercial e-mails. Companies harvest e-mail addresses, and then send commercial e-mails to you. Spam, the electronic version of junk mail, fills up your electronic mailbox, just like paper junk mail fills up the mailbox in front of your home.
Most e-mail systems have filters that automatically send spam to a “junk mail folder.” Because some legitimate messages look like junk mail to your e-mail provider, don’t set your filters to automatically delete spam. Instead, review your spam occasionally to check for valid messages before deleting. When you see e-mails in your junk mail folder that you don’t want discarded, add that e-mail address to your address book. Then, your e-mail system will recognize the sender and put the message in your inbox instead.
Avoid E-mail Headaches
You can avoid bothersome e-mail nuisances by besting them with the strategies in this article. Your e-mail and Internet service can be a convenience that not only saves you time and money, but that also provides unlimited information at your fingertips and makes instant communication with loved ones possible. Avoid the wily snares of e-mail hoaxes and frauds by outwitting them!