We keep you up-to-date in the world of e-mail chain letters with the latest news articles about chain letters, as well as updates about BreakTheChain.org. http://www.breakthechain.org/ Whitehall Police Officer Jim Duram recognized an e-mail he received about an H1N1 flu vaccination program as a hoax, but fears many will fall victim to the latest nationwide scam. http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2009/12/e-mail_scam_preys_on_h1n1_flu.html http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2009/12/e-mail_scam_preys_on_h1n1_flu.html Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST There's an e-mail chain letter making the rounds that, for some, is an indictment of health-care reform but that can also be read as an indictment of the American people. Unlike many chain letters clotting e-mail boxes, this one is correctly attributed. http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/columnists/cary_clack/78375712.html http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/columnists/cary_clack/78375712.html Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST IT WAS the great Chocolate Bar Bomb scare. Last month an anonymous email, breathlessly titled "Cadbury HALAL Please read! and Forward", hit in-boxes around the country, warning recipients of a sinister link between Australian-made chocolates and Islamic terrorism. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/hoax-slayer-puts-the-bite-on-vampires-of-the-cyber-world-20091125-jrwz.html http://www.theage.com.au/technology/hoax-slayer-puts-the-bite-on-vampires-of-the-cyber-world-20091125-jrwz.html Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST Breaking the chain of fools isn't easy. According to chain mail expert John Ratliff, founder of breakthechain.org, "the simplicity principle is the key: The easier it is to do something, the more likely we are to comply..." http://www.torontosun.com/life/2009/11/23/11889186.html http://www.torontosun.com/life/2009/11/23/11889186.html Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST Once the age of the Internet arrived, I began to receive e-chain letters, which consisted of listing things such as your favorite songs or the name of your best friend, and at the bottom of the letter it would read, "Scroll down and make a wish." http://columbiachronicle.com/social-networking-the-end-of-real-communication/ http://columbiachronicle.com/social-networking-the-end-of-real-communication/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST The Road Traffic Management Corporation on Monday advised motorists to ignore a hoax e-mail claiming the demerit points system was already in place. http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/articleprog.aspx?id=27047 http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/articleprog.aspx?id=27047 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST An e-mail circulating around Iowa has an ominous warning from a Des Moines fire fighter, but it's a hoax. The e-mail appears to be from Des Moines Fire Capt. Robert Cox. It warns that someone is placing paper to the rear windows of cars and when people get out of their cars to take off the paper - the car gets stolen. http://www.kcci.com/news/21669002/detail.html http://www.kcci.com/news/21669002/detail.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST The Hillsborough Sheriff's Office says an e-mail circulating that offers some warnings about the county's six new red light cameras is a modern-day chain letter. http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/hillsborough/1117-red-light-rumors-chain-email http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/hillsborough/1117-red-light-rumors-chain-email Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:50:00 EST A bogus e-mail warning cell phone users to register their numbers with the government's Do Not Call registry is making the rounds again. If you get it, hit the delete key. http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/11/16/2009-11-16_dont_fall_victim_to_emails_cell_hoax.html http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/11/16/2009-11-16_dont_fall_victim_to_emails_cell_hoax.html Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST The gun deer season is almost upon us so it's an appropriate time to let hunters know what's out there or, in this case, what isn't. The albino moose isn't. http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20091115/GPG0706/911150705/1207/GPG01 http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20091115/GPG0706/911150705/1207/GPG01 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST THE hoax about the attempted kidnap of a three-year-old girl shows one thing - the power of text. Thousands of people across Huddersfield quickly found out about it as the message was fired from phone to phone in the modern equivalent of a panicky chain letter. http://www.examiner.co.uk/views-and-blogs/comment/2009/11/14/leader-modern-chain-mail-86081-25164278/ http://www.examiner.co.uk/views-and-blogs/comment/2009/11/14/leader-modern-chain-mail-86081-25164278/ Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST The Internet has certainly been a boon to the human species. It has brought the wisdom of the ages into easy reach of our fingertips. Of course, it has also brought the ignorance of the ages into our easy grasp. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09308/1010580-154.stm#ixzz0Vw37rIPU http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09308/1010580-154.stm#ixzz0Vw37rIPU Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST An old rumor from 2002 with an ounce of truth to it has now found its way into Canada, where it's no more true. http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/mcbeef.html http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/mcbeef.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST Every couple of years they go around, a scary email that makes people think twice about every day activities. The latest one tells the story of a young man who was killed, electrocuted by a cell phone that he was using while it was plugged into the wall. http://www.fox12idaho.com/global/story.asp?s=11435222 http://www.fox12idaho.com/global/story.asp?s=11435222 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST McDonald's Canada and the president of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association are trying to counter what they say is false information being spread by an Internet hoax. The hoax email, which has been circulating for a long time and purports to be from an Alberta cattle-feeding group, calls for a boycott of the fast-food chain because it says McDonald's has plans to buy most of its beef from South America. http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/canada/2009/11/02/11609436.html http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/canada/2009/11/02/11609436.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST A bogus report claiming that sailors aboard a ship died from the vaccine for the H1N1 virus has popped up on blogs and in e-mail inboxes in recent weeks. http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/10/navy_flu_hoax_email_103009w/ http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/10/navy_flu_hoax_email_103009w/ Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EDT We all want to see breast cancer cured, so it's no surprise that people respond to an email that tells them that sending a single text message or email to a friend would cause a large national company to donate a buck to cancer research. Unfortunately, it's not true. http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/10/29/dont-fall-for-this-email-hoax-to-fight-cancer/ http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/10/29/dont-fall-for-this-email-hoax-to-fight-cancer/ Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EDT