(no subject)

[balmofgilead]

To: [gullible@some.com]
From: [you@your.com]
Subject: FWD: don't open another email till you READ THIS!

Thank you for thinking of me when you read the forward you just sent, but next time, please check into such items more thoroughly. What you sent me was a hoax -- an urban myth of the Web.

[Insert details about this particular hoax/chain email here. Try not to be too mean; this person is gullible, so he/she is probably easy to take offense. You might want to specify the site you found proof of its falseness so they can read for themselves.]

For your reference, here are some handy websites where hoaxes, phony virus alerts and scams can be researched. I suggest printing this list out and keeping it handy near your computer.


http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/ or http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org
http://www.vmyths.com
http://www.snopes2.com
http://www.netsquirrel.com/combatkit
http://www.scambusters.org
http://www.quackwatch.com -- for health-related scams
http://www.stiller.com/hoaxes.htm


And, of course, check the veracity of *any* virus by visiting http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/ or http://vil.mcafee.com/anti-virus/ -- both pages have the most up-to-date information on viruses real or imagined.

Please, be more skeptical of the forwards you receive, and check up on any that sound suspicious.

Forward *this* email to whomever sent you the message you sent me. You'll save us a whole lot of aggravation in the future. Thanks.

Too bad I didn't have it handy when I was still on speaking terms with aunt #5.