The myth behind a story: "Forward this mail and you will receive...."
I believe any of us has received one of those mails stating that if you forward this mail to so and so many people, you will receive a blessing, luck in life, or cash.
One of the oldest appears to be the one that says that the recipient of this mail can participate in a Microsoft/ AOL/ Intel beta test. The mail says that "When you forward this email 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 email to, Microsoft will pay you $245, for every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you $243, and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid $241."
Of course, no one ever receives money. Another famous one is the one testing your usage of your Hotmail account - and if you don't forward the mail, Microsoft would delete your mailbox. It always seems too good to be true, and there are WebPages to check these urban legends. The article mentions hoaxbuster.org or truthminer, I personally use snopes.com.
Wired Magazine in their newest edition traces the origin of the one legend mentioned above in quite an interesting story, that also touches on the historical origins of those urban legends in general. Nice reading, and next time you get something that sounds too good, check it out before forwarding.
And if you forward it - make sure you delete your name below - otherwise, you lend respect and credibility to the story.
I believe any of us has received one of those mails stating that if you forward this mail to so and so many people, you will receive a blessing, luck in life, or cash.
One of the oldest appears to be the one that says that the recipient of this mail can participate in a Microsoft/ AOL/ Intel beta test. The mail says that "When you forward this email 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 email to, Microsoft will pay you $245, for every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you $243, and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid $241."
Of course, no one ever receives money. Another famous one is the one testing your usage of your Hotmail account - and if you don't forward the mail, Microsoft would delete your mailbox. It always seems too good to be true, and there are WebPages to check these urban legends. The article mentions hoaxbuster.org or truthminer, I personally use snopes.com.
Wired Magazine in their newest edition traces the origin of the one legend mentioned above in quite an interesting story, that also touches on the historical origins of those urban legends in general. Nice reading, and next time you get something that sounds too good, check it out before forwarding.
And if you forward it - make sure you delete your name below - otherwise, you lend respect and credibility to the story.
posted by Andreas @ 9:15 am
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