For the many who don't have time to surf the net and read the truth about
these hoaxes and urban legends I have compiled a list of:
Current Net Hoaxes,
Urban Legends, and other digital lies...
Last updated: 04/07/99
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
*******************************************************************
LSD/Strychnine on Pay Phone Buttons [Rumor]
More pay phone hysteria, courtesy of the Internet.
The Great 'GAS OUT' [Junk]
A rather silly chain letter attempting to rally Americans to
protest the rising price of gasoline.
The Y2K / VCR Conspiracy [Rumor]
Are VCR manufacturers hiding a simple solution to the
Y2K bug?
HIV Needle-Stick Incidents in Dallas and Denver [UL]
New versions of last year's email rumors.
Febreze Warning [Rumor]
An email warning in circulation since January warns that
the fabric deodorizer Febreze is toxic to pets.
Petition to Save PBS / NPR / NEA [Junk]
"The Case of the Pointless Petition" - a cautionary tale.
NUD - 'No Urban Dictate' [Rumor]
From David Spalding's 'Hoax du Jour' - Do some
corporations apply racist criteria when deciding where to
advertise?
Missing Child Alert - 'Andrew Russell Steinmetz' [Junk]
Another defunct alert. Andrew Steinmetz was kidnapped
by his father, but recovered safe and sound by authorities
in February.
Y2K Bank Scam [Rumor]
Based on conflicting reports from bankers and the media,
we can confidently say that this rumor may or may not be
true!
'Video Clip' Chain Letter [Hoax]
The "coolest chain letter ever" claims that a funny video will
appear on your screen if you forward it to 11 people.
Blue Mountain Greeting Cards 'Virus' [Hoax]
According to this false AOL rumor, electronic greeting
cards from Blue Mountain are infected with a virus.
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 many 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.
'Inside Edition' 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.
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.
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 - usually hits the Net heavily once a year
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!
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.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Laura E. Murphy
Microcomputer Training
Information and Computing Support Services
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
615 McCallie Avenue, 414C Hunter Hall
Chattanooga, TN 37403
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
423-755-4002 (voice)423-755-4025 (fax)
http://www.utc.edu/acadcomp/Training
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
"The best way to get something done is to begin."
- Anonymous
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