Chain letters are still sent by regular mail but with the advent of the computer, can travel much quicker and progress much greater by email. The nature of a chain letter has not change since regular mail. They can deal with the notion of luck, money , sickness or health. In some jurisdictions chain letters are also illegal if money is requested.
An Anatomy of a Chain Letter
Every chain letter is comprise of three components:
If you receive a chain letter, you should delete it to stop the chain from your point. Don't resend the letter. If you are an employee in a company, let your system administrator know about the letter so that he can warn others.
From time to time we set out below chain letters that we become aware of. If you receive a chain letter, let us know and we will post some of the chain letters you receive to warn others and to stop the chain from continuing.
UNIVERSITY DIPLOMAS
> Obtain a prosperous future, money earning
> power, and the admiration of all.
> Diplomas from prestigious non-accredited
> universities based on your present
> knowledge and life experience.
> No required tests, classes, books, or
> interviews.
> Bachelors, masters, MBA, and doctorate
> (PhD) diplomas available in the field of
> your choice.
> No one is turned down.
> Confidentiality assured.
> CALL NOW to receive your diploma
> within days!!!
> 1-212-465-3248
> Call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
> including Sundays and holidays.
Microsoft and AOL merging
> > > > Subject: Microsoft and AOL merger
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > I am forwarding this because the person who sent it to
> > > > me is a good friend and does not send me junk.
> > > > Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet company
> > > > and in an effort make sure that Internet explorer
> > > > remains the most widely used program, Microsoft and AOL
> > > > are running an e-mail beta test. When you forward this
> > > > e-mail to friends, Microsoft can and will track it (if
> > > > you are a Microsoft Windows user) for a two week time
> > > > period. For every person that you forward this e-mail
> > > > to, Microsoft will pay you $245.00, for every person
> > > > that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will
> > > > pay you $243.00 and for every third person that
> > > > receives it, you will be paid $241.00. Within two
> > > > weeks, Microsoft will contact you for your address
> > > > and then send you a check. I thought this was a scam
> > > > myself, but two weeks after receiving this e-mail
> > > > and forwarding it on, Microsoft contacted me for my
> > > > e-mail and within days, I received a check for
> > > > $24800.00.
PENPAL GREETINGS!
Subject: Virus Alert Importance: High If anyone receives mail entitled: PENPAL GREETINGS! please delete it WITHOUT reading it. Below is a little explanation of the message, and what it would do to your PC if you were to read the message. If you have any questions or concerns please contact SAF-IA Info Office on 697-5059. This is a warning for all internet users - there is a dangerous virus propagating across the internet through an e-mail message entitled "PENPAL GREETINGS!". DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANY MESSAGE ENTITLED "PENPAL GREETINGS!" This message appears to be a friendly letter asking you if you are interested in a penpal, but by the time you read this letter, it is too late. The "trojan horse" virus will have already infected the boot sector of your hard drive, destroying all of the data present. It is a self-replicating virus, and once the message is read, it will AUTOMATICALLY forward itself to anyone who's e-mail address is present in YOUR mailbox! This virus will DESTROY your hard drive, and holds the potential to DESTROY the hard drive of anyone whose mail is in your inbox, and who's mail is in their inbox, and so on. If this virus remains unchecked, it has the potential to do a great deal of DAMAGE to computer networks worldwide!!!! Please, delete the message entitled "PENPAL GREETINGS!" as soon as you see it! And pass this message along to all of your friends and relatives, and the other readers of the newsgroups and mailing lists which you are on, so that they are not hurt by this dangerous virus!!!!
America Online Upgrade Warning
AOL never upgrades using email. It distributes its software by having its customers download at a designated area. Attention Friends Another scam on the lurch on the AOL net.... BEWARE !!!!!! If you receive an e-mail that is titled "Fwd: America Online 4.0 Upgrade" or has an attached file called "Setup40.exe" Do not download the program it is NOT Aol 4.0 it is a program that will e-mail your SCREEN NAME and your PASSWORD to two or more people during two blackouts of your computer screen. DO NOT DOWNLOAD DELETE IT!!! Please E-Mail this letter to as many people as possible to avoid damage....thanks !!!
Bud Frogs Screen Saver
DANGER!!! VIRUS ALERT!!! THIS IS A NEW TWIST. SOME CREEPOID SCAM-ARTIST IS SENDING OUT A VERY DESIRABLE SCREEN-SAVER (THE BUD FROGS). BUT IF YOU DOWN-LOAD IT, YOU'LL LOSE EVERYTHING!!!!! YOUR HARD DRIVE WILL CRASH!! DON'T DOWNLOAD THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!! IT JUST WENT INTO CIRCULATION YESTERDAY, AS FAR AS WE KNOW....BE CAREFUL. PLEASE DISTRIBUTE TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE...THANX BELOW IS WHAT THE SCREENSAVER PROGGIE WOULD LOOK LIKE! File: BUDSAVER.EXE (24643 bytes) DL Time (28800 bps): < 1 minute
A Little Girl Dying
You guys..... this isn't a chain letter, but a choice for all of us to save a little girl that's going to die of a serious and fatal form of cancer. Please send this to everyone you know...or don't know at that. This little girl has 6 months left to live her life, and as her last wish, she wanted to send a chain letter telling everyone to live their life to fullest, since she never will. She'll never make it to prom, graduate from high school, or get married and have a family of her own. By you sending this to as many people as possible, you can give her and her family a little hope, because with every name that this is sent to, the American Cancer Society will donate 3 cents per name to her treatment and recovery plan. One guy sent this to 500 people !!!! So, I know that we can send it to at least 5 or 6. Come on you guys.... and if you're too selfish to waste 10-15 minutes and scrolling this and forwarding it to EVERYONE, just think it could be you one day....and it's not even your $money$, just your time. Please help this little girl out guys, I know you can do it!! I love you guys!
Everything You Never Wanted
Everything you never wanted to know and were afraid to ask Here's what you're supposed to do. Copy this entire e-mail and change all of the answers so they apply to you. Then send it to everyone you know, INCLUDING me. So you should get back a lot of get-to-know-you e-mails. You'll learn a lot about your friends that you maybe didn't know. Please take 5 minutes of your day to do this. FULL NAME: NICKNAME(s) : HOMETOWN: BORN: CURRENT RESIDENCE: CROUTONS OR BACON BITS: FAVORITE SALAD DRESSING: DO YOU DRINK: SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER OR JUST CONDITIONER: HAVE YOU EVER GONE SKINNY DIPPING: DO YOU MAKE FUN OF PEOPLE: FAVORITE COLORS: HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CONVICTED OF A CRIME: BEST ON-LINE FRIENDS: ONE PILLOW OR TWO: PETS: FAVORITE TYPES OF MUSIC: DREAM CAR: TYPE OF CAR YOU DRIVE NOW: WHAT TYPE OF CAR WAS YOUR FIRST CAR: TOOTHPASTE: FAVORITE FOOD: DO YOU GET ALONG WITH YOUR PARENTS: FAVORITE TOWN TO CHILL IN: FAVORITE ICE CREAM: FAVORITE SOFT DRINK: FAVORITE TYPE OF FAMILY GAME TO PLAY: WHAT IS YOUR BAD TIME of DAY: FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR: ADIDAS, NIKE, OR REEBOK: FAVORITE PERFUME OR COLOGNE: FAVORITE WEBSITE: FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: FAVORITE MOVIE YOU HAVE SEEN RECENTLY OR FAVORITE TYPE OF MOVIE: LEAST FAVORITE SUBJECT: FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK : FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH: MOST HUMILIATING MOMENT: CRAZIEST OR SILLIEST PERSON YOU KNOW: WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN THE OPPOSITE SEX: SAY ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU: PERSON YOU SENT THIS TO, WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND:
Cancer chain letter
Please forward this message to EVERYONE you know. The American Cancer Society gets 3 cents every time this message is forwarded. Please make sure that you cc: American Cancer Society...(ACS@AOL.COM)
Little Jessca Mydek
Little Jessica Mydek is seven years old and is suffering from an acute and very rare case of cerebral carcinoma. This condition causes severe malignant brain tumors and is a terminal illness. The doctors have given her six months to live. As part of her dying wish, she wanted to start a chain letter to inform people of this condition and to send people the message to live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment, a chance that she will never have. Furthermore, the american cancer society and several corporate sponsors have agreed to donate three cents toward continuing cancer research for every new person that gets forwarded this message. Please give jessica and all cancer victims a chance. If there are any questions, send them to the american cancer society at ACS@AOL.COM
How to Give a Cat a Colonic hoax
IF YOU RECEIVE AN E-MAIL ENTITLED, "HOW TO GIVE A CAT A COLONIC," DO NOT OPEN IT!!!!!!!! It will erase everything on your hard drive. Forward this letter out to as many people as you can. This is a new, very malicious virus and not many people know about it This information was announced by IBM Please share it with everyone that might access the Internet. Once again, pass this along to EVERYONE in your address book so that this may be stopped. AOL has said that this is a very dangerous virus and that there is NO remedy for it at this time. Please practice cautionary measures and forward this message to all your online friends ASAP. ------ ------ ---
Macro Virus from Microsoft hoax
There is a macro virus going off on Oct 1!!! All computers installed with Windows 95 are installed with this virus. It is a time bomb Virus. Microsoft has already apologized for the mass breakdown of computers around the world on that day. However they had yet to come up with a remedy. Some versions of Win95 are safe but some are not. Please be careful, and forward to all your on-line friends ASAP. Not a lot of people know about it, just let everyone know, so they won't be a victim. Please forward this e-mail.
Microsoft E-Mail Tracking System hoax
Netscape and AOL have recently merged to form the largest internet company in the world. In an effort to remain at pace with this giant, Microsoft has introduced a new email tracking system as a way to keep Internet Explorer as the most popular browser on the market. This email is a beta test of the new software and Microsoft has generously offered to compensate those who participate in the testing process. For each person you send this email to, you will be given $5. For every person they give it to, you will be given an additional $3. For every person they send it to you will receive $1. Microsoft will tally all the emails produced under your name over a two week period and then email you with more instructions. This beta test is only for Microsoft Windows users because the email tracking device that contacts Microsoft is embedded into the code of Windows 95 and 98.