I often receive emails from friends and people I've never met telling me how I can earn vast sums of money, become better looking or some other such nonsense simply by forwarding the email on to all my friends. Unfortunately most of these are hoaxes. I will put the most entertaining of these emails on this page. If you receive one I haven't listed, I'd be delighted if you emailed it to me
"Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet company and in an effort to make sure that Internet explorer remains the most widely used program,Microsoft and AOL are running an e-mail beta test. When you forward this e-mail to friends, Microsoft can and will track it (if you are a Microsoft Windows user) for a two week time period. For every person that you forward this e-mail to, Microsoft will pay you $245.00, for every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you $243.00 and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid $241.00. Within two weeks, Microsoft will contact you for your address and then send you a check. I thought this was a scam myself, but two weeks after receiving this e-mail and forwarding it on, Microsoft contacted me for my e-mail and within days, I received a check for $24,800.00. You need to respond before the beta testing is over."
Where can I start? This has more holes in it than a piece of Swiss cheese. Microsoft and AOL have not merged. Microsoft are not able to track emails. The website of the company where this allegedly originated admit it is a hoax and say it didn't come from anybody in their company.
"Attention Clothes Horses!!
Abercrombie Fitch have recently merged to form the largest hottie outfitter company in the world! In an effort to remain at pace with this giant, the GAP has introduced a new email tracking system to determine who has the most loyal followers. This email is a beta test of the new clothing line and GAP has generously offered to compensate those who participate in the testing process. For each person you send this e-mail to, you will be given a pair of cargo pants. For every person they give it to, you will be given an additional Hawaiian print T-shirt, for every person they send it to, you will receive a fishermans hat! GAP will tally all the emails produced under your name over a two week period and then email you with more instructions. This beta test is only for Microsoft Windows users because the email tracking device that contacts GAP is embedded into the code of Windows 95 and 98. If you wish to speed up the "clothes receiving process" then you can email the GAP's P.R. rep for a free list of email addresses to try, at gollygap@yahoo.com (this was forwarded to me, it's not me saying this...) I know you guys hate forwards, but I started this a month ago because I was naked and couldn't get a date. A week ago, I got an email from the GAP asking me for my address I gave it to them yesterday and I got a box load of merchandise in the mail from the GAP!!!!! It really works! I wanted you to get a piece of the action, you won't regret it!"
Following a similar form to the Microsoft scam, we are assured by the sender that he/she thought it was a scam until he received lots of stuff. Once again, the biggest problem with this is the email tracking part of it, which is complete rubbish
"WARNING! AND FYI. If you receive an e-mail titled "Win A Holiday" DO NOT open it. It will erase everything on your hard drive. Forward this letter out to as many people as you can. This is a new, very malicious virus and not many people know about it. This information was announced yesterday morning from Microsoft, please share it again pass this along to everyone in your address book so that this may be stopped."
It seems that if Microsoft is mentioned in an email, people always assume it must be true. Opening an email will not do any damage to your system. Only attachments can harm your PC.
I've received lots of emails about viruses. These often turn out to be hoaxes. I won't list them all here, but the McAfee website lists lots of these kinds of hoaxes (as well as genuine viruses)
Last Updated 05/12/99