 |
Internet Hoax Links (Usually) the only thing we have to fear is fear itself! The anonymous, quick-and-easy nature of e-mail has allowed hoaxsters to waste our time and take advantage of our knee-jerk response to tell our friends exciting information without thinking first! Instead of passing on the latest internet hoax to everyone on your e-mailing list in a fit of panic, do some quick research first! Most free offers, e-mail petitions, product and health warnings, and virus alerts you receive in your e-mail box are hoaxes. Some are even purposely designed by spam marketing companies to collect and harvest your e-mail address and the e-mail addresses of your friends when they are forwarded—complete with long headers—by some well-meaning soul to a public newsgroup! Yes, there are a lot of real computer viruses out there. Luckily, most of the devastating computer viruses you will hear about through chain e-mail are figments of someone's imagination. Install and update a reliable virus protection software on your computer (McAfee, Symantec, etc.) and NEVER run an .exe file attached to an e-mail unless you are absolutely sure what it does. Place your bet on the fact that NO ONE wants to give you any free money or products—especially big corporations. Also, you can't cure the problems of the world simply by "signing" an e-mail petition and passing it on to the suckers on your mailing list. If a legitimate health concern arises regarding a particular product, chances are good that you will hear about it first from a more reliable source than an anonymous e-mail! Keep your head on straight and don't let all of the @#$% in your In Box waste your day—or mine! Research Computer Viruses Use these links to find out if that computer virus some "friend" just told you about is real. Best Computer Virus Research Sites McAfee.com - Virus Information Library Also Good for Researching Computer Viruses About.com - Current Virus Hoaxes HOAXBUSTERS - Malicious Code Warnings Trend Micro - Virus Information Center Trend Micro - Hoax Encyclopedia Virus Bulletin - Virus Hoax Listings Research Health Threats, Petitions, Great Offers, Political Scares, Etc. Use these links to find out if a product is really going to kill you, if your "signature" will help a real charity cause, if some corporation lost its mind and has really decided to give away free cash or products, if some politician is really planning to tax or outlaw something you hold dear, if a company is really doing terrible things, and so on. Best Internet Hoax and Urban Legend Research Sites About.com - Netlore: Rumors, Hoaxes & Urban Legends Also Good for Researching Internet Hoaxes and Urban Legends The AFU & Urban Legends Archive How to Identify an Internet Hoax Use these links to become an expert at finding the warning signs of a hoax in the next alarming e-mail you receive—BEFORE passing it on to your friends and family! About.com - How to Spot an Email Hoax |