What is a hoax?
A hoax is a falsehood intended to deceive others and, in
some cases cause harm to others in some way; it is one of the simplest and most
common forms of fraud. Although hoaxes
have been in existence throughout history, modern communication makes it very
easy to propagate hoaxes quickly. While
many hoaxes are innocent or harmless, they often mask malicious instructions, a
virus, or a phishing scam. Even if they
do not have a malicious purpose, chain e-mails spread untrue information and
waste time and inbox space for those who receive them.
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Easy Ways to Identify
a Hoax E-mail
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- Hoaxes
will often include a promise that it is not a hoax, or ask users to
forward it to as many people as they can.
- A hoax
will frequently tell users that if they do not forward it something bad
may happen, or that if they do forward it, they will be rewarded. Common examples include hoaxes promising
a certain amount of money donated to a charity for each forward.
- If you
receive an e-mail claiming to be from a charitable organization, check the
foundation's website for relevant information. Many, such as the Red Cross
(www.redcross.org/fraud) devote web pages to debunking such rumors.
- If the
facts seem outrageous, it is likely a hoax. Claims made in chain letters are often
illogical and contradictory. Even
if it is not obviously spurious information, it is not hard to verify the
truth with a web search.
- Chain
letters often feature poor grammar and spelling, or unusual syntactic
structures.
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Chain letters usually show evidence of having been
forwarded many times, either by an abundance of repeated header information,
displaying many e-mail addresses, showing a lot of brackets such as
>>>> next to each line, or a subject line showing many forwards
(e.g. Fwd: FWD: fwd: Fwd: Fwd: FWD).
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What to Do if You
Receive a Hoax or Chain Letter
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- Always
be wary of any URL or e-mail address provided by a chain letter, as these
may direct you to malicious websites or scams.
- If a
chain letter has an attachment, do not open it unless you are absolutely
certain it is not malicious. See
below for a list of websites that can aid you in verifying whether an
attachment is safe.
- If a
chain letter instructs you to delete information or transmit sensitive
data, it is likely fraudulent and may be damaging to your computer.
- If you
receive a chain letter, do not send it to anybody else. Hoaxes are only problematic if they are
forwarded.
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| About CyberAngels |
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As part of its mission of "keeping it safe" The Guardian Angels moved beyond the streets and
responded to citizens' calls for protection from online threats with the launch of
CyberAngels in 1995. The volunteer-based CyberAngels is one of the oldest and most
respected online safety education programs in the world. Our organization
offers articles, instruction, tips and resources via our website to promote safe Internet use
by children and families, guide parents, and assist victims of cyber crimes. |
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