An Urban Legend is a story that has been told so many times that
people start believing it to be true. Many of them are harmless and
just caution the reader to be especially careful. The most damage
they do is rob us of our valuable time and get us concerned about
things that are only a figment of a creative writer's imagination.
(For instance, finding hypodermic needles in the seats at movie
theaters or in the sandbox at children's playgrounds.)
Others may not be looking for money, but be harmful to businesses
that are mentioned. (For instance, claiming that one fast food chain
uses horsemeat in its hamburgers, and a chicken chain uses
genetically engineered chickens grown with three legs.)
Yet others seek to excite someone so much that s/he shares his
newfound fortune with all of his friends. Who hasn't been told that
Bill Gates will pay you $1,000 if you will only forward his message
on to 10 of your closest friends ... or that Craig Shergold wants to
have the most get well cards send to him before he dies of leukemia?
Unless you are superstitious and have a whole lot of time on your
hands and friends who do not get mad at you if you fill their email
in-box with garbage, we recommend that you simply ignore the good
luck chain letters.
If a chain letter requires you to send something of value
(especially money), do not participate. If you do, chances are that
you are participating in something illegal.
Best yet, visit www.snopes.com and see what is real and what is not.
In those instances where someone has sent something bogus on to you,
be sure to notify them that they have been duped. Sure, it's
embarrassing, but perhaps it will make them think twice before they
blindly pass on the next one.
Below are some of the more popular hoaxes:
Abercrombie
and Fitch
Al
Gore and the Scriptures
Amazon.com
and Anti-Semitism
Anna
Cohen Letter
Are
UPS Uniforms Being Bought by Terrorists?
Bananas:
Are They Safe?
Bath
and Body Works
Blush
Spider
Celcom
Screen Saver
Cicadas:
Are They Really Vicious Killers -- and Can You Earn Money Collecting
Them?
Coca
Cola for a Month -- Free?
Cyanide
Laced Deposit Envelopes
Does
KFC Use Real Chickens?
Elf
Bowling Virus
Email
Tracking Software: RH Power Email Tracker (And Others)
Epilepsy:
Will Your Forwarding an Email Save a Life?
Gang
Initiations at the Gas Pumps
Gap
Gift Certificates
Gas
Prices and Gas Boycott
Gasoline
Prices: Why Are They So High?
Honda
Offers $1000
Inside
Edition: The Special on the Epidemic of Abducted Women
Insuring
Cigars?
Is
AOL Instant Messenger Shutting Down?
Is
Hotmail Shutting Down?
Is
the Kali Virus Real?
Is
the Mirror on the Wall in a Public Bathroom Actually a Two Way
Mirror?
Janet
Reno: Are You a Cultist??
Klingerman
Virus
Lump
of Coal
Make
A Wish Foundation
McDonalds
- Are There Really Hypodermic Needles in the Play Areas?
Microsoft
AOL Email Beta Test
Microwave
Oven and Water
Missing
Children: Can Forwarding an Email Help the Search?
Needles
on the Underside of Gas Pumps?
Newell
Email
NPR:
Will the Supreme Court Decision end the NEA?
Old
Navy
Perfume
Hoax?
Preven
and Walmart
Rat
Droppings
Sony
Ericsson Free Phone
Spunkball
Warning
The
Man Without a Face
Tracking
Email That's Forwarded
Victoria
Secret Gift Certificate
Win
a Nokia Cell Phone
Y2Kcount
.exe Attachment: Microsoft Year 2000 Counter