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You're not helping things when you forward stuff you
receive in your e-mail.
In fact, you're adding to the problem. As
long as you forward absurd and/or frightening "inside"
stuff that you receive, you're fueling the fire. You're
making the problem even worse. If it's sounds too good to be
true, it is. If it sounds like an "end of the
world" dilemma, the last place you're gonna get credible
information is in a forwarded e-mail. Grow up, and quit
aiding-and-abetting the idiots that create this crap. Bookmark
this site and refer back to us often.
We'll try to keep ahead of the pack and stop this stuff in its
tracks and will continue to add to this section as necessary.
Starting
July 1, 2002:
Your Credit Information Will Be Available To Anyone Who
Requests It!
No it
won't! How gullible are
you, anyway? Here's the e-mail that's been feverishly
circulating and whipping gullible-types into a frenzy:
Starting July 1, 2002 - the four major credit bureaus in the
US (Equifax, etc) will be allowed to release credit info,
mailing addresses, phone numbers, etc. to ANYONE who requests
it.
If you do not want to be included in this release of your
personal information, you can call 1-888-567-8688. Once the
message starts you will want Option #2 (even though option
#1 refers to this email- push #2) and then Option #3. Be
sure to listen closely - the first option is only for a TWO-YEAR
period. Make sure you wait until they prompt for the third
Option, which opts you out FOREVER. You should
receive their paperwork in the mail confirming the "Opting
out" in less than one week after making the call.
Sorry...this stuff starts circulating and
takes on a life of its own. It's a violation of the Fair
Credit Reporting Act [FCRA] and isn't going to happen.
Read what they have to say about it on Experian
and Equifax's
sites. and while you're at it, get smart about what to do
if you get your identity stolen; the Federal
Trade Commission's site has a great
section dedicated to this subject. [Hopefully, you'll never
need it!]
Medical Scams &
Miracle Cures:
DE-BUNKING INCREDIBLE
PROMISES AND FALSE HOPES
One of the biggest areas of abuse and
cyber-shenanigans has to be anything medically-related.
Cashing in on hopes of miracle cure claims: "...because
the FDA and the big drug companies don't want you to have this
information!" laced come ons are so common.
Remember: If it
sounds too good to be true--especially when it comes to amazing
breakthroughs in medicine--it always is just that...too
good to be true. Do your homework and checkout a
great resource from a credible expert: www.quackwatch.com
NO MORE FREE
E-MAIL? [NOT!!!]
December,
2001...E-mail's gonna cost 5 cents each: This
one actually has been making the rounds over the last couple of
years; I wrote about it in my column in The
Dallas Morning News back on June
17, 1999, and while it looks all official with
references to assorted law-making muckety-mucks, it's simply not
true. Once again, while the Post Office is having a hard
time and is losing money, and this proposition of charging for
e-mail [hmmmmmm, maybe not a bad idea if it'll cut back on the
crap/spam that I continue to receive...] sounds plausible, it's
just not true. [Not yet, anyway.]
More info about this is on one of the best sites for dispelling
rumors: Snopes.com
DISEASES ARE US:
September
2001...The Klingerman Virus:
Ohmygod! "There
have been 23 confirmed cases of people attacked by the Klingerman
Virus, a virus that arrives in your real mail box, not your
e-mail in box. Someone has been mailing large blue envelopes,
seemingly at random, to people inside the US. On the
front of the envelope in bold black letters is printed, "A
gift for you from the Klingerman Foundation." When the
envelopes are opened, there is a small sponge sealed in
plastic. This sponge carries what has come to be known as the Klingerman
Virus, as public health officials state this is a strain of virus
they have not previously encountered." Or a
variation: "This is from Schwab corporate headquarters -
so it's no joke. Very scary. Be careful Just when you
thought you were safe, now we have the following to deal with
. . . please read, it definitely is a serious threat to our lives
and health." Yeah, right.
FANTASTIC PICTURES:
October, 2001: Thank God someone else has a
warped sense of humor like mine! Have you seen the guy in
the "supposed" faked World
Trade Center picture? Someone out there
on the Internet makes drives home my point when absurdity meets
PhotoShop: This guy really gets around! From The
Hindenburg, to the recent Concorde
Crash, to the Titanic,
to a guest shot in the movie The
Matrix, to another guest shot [what's with
this guy and Keanu Reeves movies, anyway?] Speed,
to yet another guest shot in the movie Independence
Day ,being attacked in Tokyo by
Godzilla being attacked
in Tokyo by Godzilla, survived one of the biggest
volcano blasts on
earth, an attack by the
Pillsbury Doughboy
and yes, he was
even in Dallas that fateful day
in '63 with JFK. (This guy has more photo ops
than Jesse Jackson!)
LAW ENFORCEMENT DIRECTIVES:
COMPUTER VIRUSES:
Unfortunately, many of the viruses making
the e-mail rounds are true, but many are hoaxes. But when in
doubt, check it out!!! Here's some good resources:
BOOKMARK ALL OF THESE SMART
CREDIBLE SOURCES:
COMING IN THE NEXT FEW
DAYS:
Can't Miss
Business/Money-Making Opportunities
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![September 2001...Man [supposedly] on top of the World Trade Center about to get hit by an American Airlines jet.](images/gullible.jpg){kind=link}
