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Only You Can Stop Hoax Emails!!
It just burns me up!
I get an email that gets me so fired up that I forwarded it my whole address book without a second thought, then I find out it was really just a lie, a hoax made up by someone who just wanted to see how far it would spread? And I just helped spread it. Well enough is enough and that is why I started StopHoaxEmail.com
Did someone send you a link to this website?
They must care about you! And they must care about the truth, too. It is likely that you forwarded them an email you liked or were excited about but they found out it was a HOAX. Yikes, that is just awful but your friend wanted you to know.
Help me do something about it!!
Have you ever gotten "a missing person notice" or a notice that the "Internet will be taxed by the post office". I have, one was actually true but one was completely false. How can you tell? You can't, not on the surface, you have to check them out.
The good news is that others have usually done the hard work for you, so while it does take time it doesn't usually take any longer then the time to read a hoax in the first place.
What works best for me is to not even start reading an email before I check it out. Swipe its key phrase, search using it and see what comes up. You will be so surprised by how fast you can find out the facts.
Or, use one of these great sites. They have the facts on almost every hoax email out there.
Help STOP the Fraud!
Some are not just a hoax but dangerous. There are theives out there looking to get your information if you will just click on their email. They may send an email asking for you to update your paypal(TM) account or one that says, the new bank merger requires that you update your online bank account login information. They take you to a website but is not the real one, they just want your login and password so they can steal from you.
Don't just delete them TURN THEM IN!
The U.S. government has a website just for that. http://www.ftc.gov/spam/ They want to shut down those thieves and you can help. Be sure to check out their e-card too.
What to do!
What to do if you find out you got a HOAX e-mail.
First, don't just delete, remember someone you know sent it to you they were tricked too. Let them know. If you already sent it forward yourself then you need to let them know too.
1.) Forward the email backwards to to the person who first sent it to you, but this time add HOAX to the subject line. This will help your friend see it is a new email and tells the real story. Add your own message to the top of the email or just swipe and paste the following in the top section of the email and our website can take it from there.
"I am part of the StopHoaxEmails.com movement and I verified this email and it is A HOAX."
2. ) If you forwarded the email off to your own list, then it would be nice to let them know it is a hoax. Forward the same email as above to them as well. Hoax in the subject line and our link in the top of the email. You can always add a note yourself if you like.
3.) Go the extra mile. Many emails have lists of email addresses that can be easily seen. This is because they were not sent as BCC. Why not let those folks know this was a Hoax as well.
Forward the same email just like it is discribed above to anyone that has an email listed in the email. Write a note if you like that says you saw their email address listed in a Hoax email you received and you wanted them to know it was a Hoax. If you take this extra step why not send me an email letting me know all about it too.
4.) Why not email me:*
I get really excited when folks like you STOP HOAX EMAILS.
Tips for Forwarding the good ones!
Some emails I get are really just so cute or sweet that who cares if they are true or not. It is not usually these cute ones that get under my skin. But when I find out a cute or sentimental story is TRUE, Wow I want to send it to everyone.
And what about the ones which fired you up for action and then you confirm they are true. Here are some tips about the best way to make sure the true ones get the attention they deserve.
It is simple just,
1.) Add your own personal note to the top of the e-mail saying
"I am part of the StopHoaxEmails.com movement and I verified this email and it is TRUE. Read it with confidence or check its facts yourself."
2.) You can add more if you like but this is enough and its brevity helps keeps down the clutter. If you did track down a website that supports the truth of the email then go ahead and include the link, that will save others from needing to track it down.
3.) IMPORTANT Make sure you put the addresses you are sending the forward to in the BCC section and not in the TO section. This keeps those email addresses secret or hidden and they will not showing up in the email you forward. This protects your friends. Just use your own email address in the TO section, that's right just send it to yourself, and let all the others be BCC.
4.) Clean up the email if you can. Not everyone will feel confident enough to do this extra step, but if you can trim out the excess email addresses and return markers. You do not need to redesign or rewrite the whole email just make it a little easier to read if you can.
Thanks for your help!
Reward!
If you read this far you deserve a reward. Take a break and view some great pictures of the nightsky. I made the website for a contest and I got first place. Many of the images are public domain which means they are free, if you want to use them. (See the bottom of the page for details).
But, I think they all are great to look at. Don't worry it is a family friendly site and I am not trying to sell you anything. It is just a thank you gift.
*(This email address is encrypted to hide it from spammers so if it does not appear then reload the page and allow blocked content)