McKinley: forwarding "urgent messages"

Reezymae@webtv.net (Marie Bowen) wrote:
> Hi,
> I went to my state reps homepage to post a message since he doesn't use
> the page you indicated. He had a note on there that said that this
> alleged vote on tolls for internet access is just a rumor. He says that
> there is no such legislation before Congress. Just in cas I left a
> letter stating my objections to this kind of legislation. However, i
> don't think we have anything to worry about.

Marie is right; before you forward an urgent message, try checking it out at
<http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/msubnet.htm?pid=2733&cob=home>

This site has them all: the Neiman-Marcus cookie scam, the kidney stealer
scare, the FCC threat, and more legends than you ever thought possible <grin>!

If it's not listed (new ones surface from time to time), look into it
yourself. I recently got one purporting to be from a young man who went to a
certain HS in a certain town, saying that he has a serious illness (kidney
disease? cancer? don't remember...) and that every time someone got his
letter, read it and forwarded it on, some research foundation got 5 cents to
work on the illness he was dying from.

I asked myself, How could he or anyone else interested know it had been
forwarded, since it wasn't being reported anywhere? WHY would they get
donations? From whom? Then, I looked up the high school he claimed as his by
going to askjeeves.com and typing in, Where is _______ HS in _______? When I
went to the school's web site, they had a special posting to inform visitors
that their so-called student was a hoax, no one by that name went there or was
asking for help, etc. Same thing at Neiman-Marcus' site: not only do they
debunk the cookie story, they have an excellent cookie recipe posted there as
a smile! So, if it sounds too good to be true, too vague, too strange... it
probably is! Strike a blow for sensible e-mail... refuse to forward!

Betty

____________________________________________________________________
Get free e-mail and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1
[To drop McKinley, tell: majordomo@cco.caltech.edu unsubscribe mckinley]
Received on Sun Jun 27 05:59:43 1999