Dear list family --because we are so easily tripped up by these internet
chain letter-type posts, forwarded to us by well-meaning friends, I'm
reprinting here the current list of hoaxes,Urban Legends, Scams, and
"useless petitions" from the wrbsite I gave earlier to the list. PLEASE
take note, and save us all the trouble of checking on and deleting these
pests !
The site (one of many) is:
http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/library/blasp.htm
Current Net Hoaxes,
Urban Legends, and other digital lies...
Last updated: 02/22/99
Hoax = False, deliberately deceptive information, including pranks
UL = Urban Legend: a popularly believed narrative, most likely false
Rumor = Questionable or erroneous information forwarded with gusto
Junk = Flotsam and jetsam of the Net
Procter & Gamble's Killer Sponges [Hoax]
A new email alert claims that "pot scrubbers" from P&G contain a toxic
chemical.
Missing Child Alert - 'Krystava Patients Schmidt' [Junk]
A message still circulating 8 months after the fact pleads for help
finding a missing child,
but the youngster is safe and sound.
'Slow Dance' Chain Letter [Hoax]
Another opportunity to help save the life of a dying child who doesn't exist.
'Guinness Book of Records' Chain Letter [Hoax]
Just forward this message and get your name listed in Guinness - along
with a million or
so other folks.
Exit23b.com 'Free Stock' Chain Letter [Junk]
The good news is: it's not a scam or a hoax. The bad news is: the offer
has expired.
Walt Disney Jr.'s 'Email Tracking' Giveaway [Hoax]
It's running rampant again! This hoax declares you can win $5,000 or a
trip to Disney
World just by forwarding a chain letter.
Petition for Afghan Women's Rights [Junk]
Not a hoax, but a sincere effort gone astray.
Long Distance Rates for Internet Access? [Rumor]
A "new" old rumor - the U.S. government is going to make us pay long
distance rates for
Internet access.
Hypodermic Needles in Pay Phone Coin Slots [UL]
Malicious drug addicts are out to kill us! Also: update on possible
copycat incidents in
Virginia.
'Welcome to the world of AIDS' [UL]
Email scare story - randomly chosen victims are being injected with the
AIDS virus in
crowded theaters and night clubs around the world.
More AIDS/HIV Sneak Attacks [UL]
A new email variant of the "AIDS pin prick" legend.
'Guts to Say Jesus' Virus Alert [Hoax]
Symantec debunks this latest variant of the "Good Times" virus hoax.
Dave Matthews Chain Letter [Hoax]
The latest variation on the "save a dying child" chain letter purports to
have the
enthusiastic support of musician Dave Matthews.
David 'Darren' Bucklew Chain Letter [Hoax]
This one's a rewrite of the old "Timothy Flyte" chain letter - just as
bogus, just as
annoying.
Aspartame Warning [Rumor]
A slipshod, overblown email flyer dating from 1995, alleging that
NutraSweet causes just
about every malady known to humankind. Scientists balk.
Tommy Hilfiger Made Racist Statements on Oprah [Rumor]
That's what the email rumor claims, at any rate. This outright lie dates
back several years.
Another Close Call at the Mall [UL]
A murderous, well-dressed "good samaritan" supposedly lurks in the parking
lots of
shopping malls just about everywhere.
Deadly Rat Urine on Soda Pop Cans [UL]
Three variations of a new cautionary tale making the email rounds since
October.
Cockroach Egg Tacos at Taco Bell [UL]
A fast-food horror story, as told in six different locations around the U.S.
Asbestos: Secret Ingredient in Tampons [Rumor]
Two versions of this email alert are circulating, one more true than the
other.
Headlight Flashing 'Gang Initiation Rite' [UL]
Urban legend from the early '90s re-emerges as a frightening email alert.
Snakes in Burger King's Ball Pit! [UL]
Email version of an old amusement park legend, in the form of a warning to
parents.
The 'Blue Star' LSD Tattoo [UL]
Email alert claims that colorful cartoon stickers laced with LSD pose a
threat to children
everywhere.
Mall Abduction Scams [Rumor]
This "warning to women" claims that elaborate scams are being used by
abductors to lure
female shoppers out of malls and into waiting vans.
The 90# Telephone Scam [Rumor]
A half dozen or so variations of this alert have been in wide circulation
since last February.
The scam is real, but it does not affect typical residential phone customers.
'Win a Holiday' Virus Alert [Hoax]
A recent copycat of the 'Join the Crew' virus hoax, this alert falsely
claims that reading an
email message will unleash a virus that will erase your hard drive.
Shampoo Cancer Warning [Rumor]
A new chain letter falsely claims that an ingredient found in many
brand-name shampoos
is carcinogenic.
Black Voting Rights to Expire in 2007 [Rumor]
This email alert, bouncing around the Internet since January, 1997, has
most of the facts
wrong.
Corpses of Children Used to Traffic Drugs [UL]
An old urban legend (c. 1973) dressed up in new clothes for the Internet.
Perennials
A.I.D.S. Virus Warning [Hoax]
According to the bogus alert in constant circulation, this
email-transmitted virus will
completely destroy your computer!
Bud Frogs Screen Saver Warning [Hoax]
Newly tweaked to deceive you, this one-year-old virus hoax is still going
strong.
The Craig Shergold Chain Letter [UL]
Story of the little boy whose life was saved by a chain letter that won't
die.
Gerber Savings Bond Giveaway [Rumor]
Fax and email alerts falsely claim that Gerber Products Co. lost a class
action suit and now
must pay out restitution to millions of American children in the form of
$500 savings
bonds.
The Jessica Mydek Chain Letter [Hoax]
Jessica Mydek, a seven-year-old girl dying of cancer, does not exist, nor
will the American
Cancer Society contribute money to research in her name every time this
chain letter is
forwarded. (Also see the many Mydek copycats: David Lawitts, Tamara
Martin, Rick
Connor, and Timothy Flyte.)
Join the Crew/Penpal Greetings/Undeliverable Mail [Hoax]
Three aging virus hoaxes that won't go away, now most often circulated in
"combination
alerts."
Kidney Thieves [UL]
The venerable organ snatching legend erupts in Austin, Texas. This
hysterical warning is a
hodgepodge of various mutations of the legend cut-and-pasted together.
'Need some extra $$$ for the summer?' [Hoax]
Make millions just by forwarding this chain letter! Funded by "National
Banks everywhere!!"
Teaches kids how to manage money!!!
Neiman Marcus (Mrs. Fields) Cookie Recipe [UL]
Posh department store charges $250 for a cookie recipe; victim gets even
by sharing it
with the world. All the ingredients of a legend!
Petition to Save PBS/NPR/NEA [Junk]
"The Case of the Pointless Petition" - a cautionary tale.
Prehistoric Barbie [Hoax]
This amusing counterfeit letter purporting to originate from the
Smithsonian responds to an
interesting backyard archaeological discovery.
The Timothy Flyte Chain Letter [Hoax]
Also known as the "David 'Darren' Bucklew" chain letter - another
variation on the "save a
dying child" hoax.
Veterans' Dividend Hoax [Hoax]
Bogus offer to U.S. veterans involving alleged dividends on insurance
policies.
Virus Hoax Resources | Archive of Legends & Netlore
Related Mining Co. GuideSites
Astrology
Conspiracies and Extremism
New Age
Paranormal Phenomena
UFOs/Aliens
Elsewhere on Mining Co.
Today's Top Stories
Hot Link
Reenactment for Kids
College Tournaments
Camilla Flintermann, <[log in to unmask]>
http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/camilla/one.htm My Home Page
" Knowing when to insist, and when to let be,
is,perhaps, a lifetime learning experience ."
--Mary McCurry
