(10/22/2003) The Internet is full of wonders and many are amazed that we can help good causes from the safety and security of our family rooms. Of course, the old adage applies: Nothing good is ever that easy. Several "Click to Donate" campaigns have come and gone and left a misinforming chain letter in their wakes, but this one has a twist.
SAMPLE CHAIN LETTER TEXT
This site is nice and easy. No forms. Just watch the bear give money to cancer research. Who doesn't want to do that?
10 cents will go to breast cancer research from Avon each time this link is opened:
The site you're being asked to visit contains a Flash animation of a limited edition breast cancer awareness bear walking across the screen, then turning and coming closer to give you a "hug." The Avon "Hugs for the Cure" campaign was real, but ended in the spring of 2002. Avon quickly reached their goal of 500,000 "hugs" and donated $50,000 to breast cancer research. Once the animation was removed from their site, any functionality it once had was removed. Visiting the site above (or any of the others like it) will not result in a donation to anyone.
Jon Busby, the Purdue student who posted the animation at the site linked in the e-mail told BreakTheChain.org that he put the animation on his site with an introductory HTML page that explained its origins. Unfortunately, people who decided to tell others about it chose to provide the link directly to the animation file. Well, no good deed goes unpunished and Busby quickly found out what can go wrong with even the most seemingly innocuous chain letters:
"I got a summons from the dean of students regarding 'potential fraud' complaints that the sysadmins had received. Apparently it was thought that I was attempting to defraud breast cancer research, and approximately 30 complaints were lodged as such.
"Thankfully I showed the admins that it was merely a harmless animation with a broken link, and not some dastardly plan. If you visit that link, the .swf file had been replaced with a message from me basically telling people to stop passing the link around.
"Kind of funny how an animation forwarded to you by your mother ends up getting one accused of fraud, no?"
An Avon spokesperson told BreakTheChain.org that the company is still very much involved in the search for the cure. The Avon Breast Cancer Crusade provides several ways to give your support. We also, shouldn't forget the venerable Breast Cancer Site, where you can help pay for mammograms for underprivileged women, simply by clicking your mouse. Break this chain.
(10/22/2003) The Internet is full of wonders and many are amazed that we can help good causes from the safety and security of our family rooms. Of course, the old adage applies: Nothing good is ever that easy. Several "Click to Donate" campaigns have come and gone and left a misinforming chain letter in their wakes, but this one has a twist.
