This is a copy of the message that I posted on our class discussion forum in response to Internet hoaxes, myths, and urban legends.

Hi All! I have just spent hours paging through link after link of Internet hoaxes, myths, and urban legends. I must admit; some of the information was surprising. Yet, for the most part it is just disturbing. It is disturbing that people would believe some of the bizarre stories that are going around and it is even more disturbing that there are people out there that create these stories. Many of these “hoaxers” are sick and twisted human beings that take pleasure in causing panic, fear, and hysteria. The others are angry people that are either trying to take hits on businesses, like Proctor & Gamble and Coca-Cola, or that have a political agenda.

We have probably all received email hoaxes of some kind. I know that I have received many of the so-called give away hoaxes that promise money or charitable donations for every forward I send. Sympathy letters that claim that it is a dying child’s last wish for people to forward the chain letter are also quite common. I stopped forwarding chain letters threatening bad luck or injury a long time ago. Yet, I believe that it is the scare chains and urban myths that can be the most damaging. How many of us stayed away from shopping malls on Halloween because of the email that warned us of attacks? I am ashamed to admit that I did not go anywhere near a mall on that day. And how about the story of men offering sprays of perfume to women in parking lots that caused the women to pass out and be abducted? I cannot be the only person that thought that story was true. Yet, of all the urban legends and myths that I read about today, I am most surprised to learn that it is NOT true that people have been stuck by HIV-infected needles in phone booth coin returns, gas pump handles, and movie theater seats. I thought that I had heard about that on the news, but apparently it was just word-of-mouth. When I first heard that story years ago, I drove to full service gas stations to get my gas pumped!!

There are many reasons why sick individuals may create email hoaxes including: fame, curiosity, harassment, money scams, and to damage the reputation of individuals and businesses. Don’t believe everything you read. And when you do receive these kind of emails, be wary of requests for you to forward it to everyone you know, check company websites for reports, and check hoax sites. When in doubt of its validity, do not send it on. Oh and by the way…deodorants do not cause breast cancer, urine was not found in the meat at Outback Steakhouse (or other restaurants for that matter), companies cannot track where an email goes and how many forwards you send, and neither Eminem nor Britney Spears died in a car crash.