Identifying Hoaxes and Urban Legends
Why are chain letters a problem?
Chain letters can mask viruses or other malicious code. Verify the information before following any instructions or passing the message along. Even the ones that seem harmless may have negative repercussions if you forward them:
- They consume bandwidth and space in the recipient's inbox
- You force people you know to waste time sifting through the messages and possibly taking time to verify the information
- You are spreading hype and, often, unnecessary fear and paranoia
Two types of chain letters
- Hoaxes attempt to trick or defraud users. A hoax might instruct users to delete a file necessary to the operating system, claiming it is a virus. It could also be a scam that convinces users to send money or personal information. Phishing attacks fall into this category (see Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information).
E-Mail Information Security Notice E-Mail Phishing Spam Sent to NIU Campus
- Urban Legends are designed to be redistributed and usually warn users of a threat or claim to be notifying them of important or urgent information. A common form is an e-mail that promises monetary rewards for forwarding the message or suggest that they are signing something that will be submitted to a particular group. Urban legends usually have no negative effect aside from wasted bandwidth and time.
Identifying hoaxes and urban legends
Not every hoax or urban legend has these attributes, and some legitimate messages may have some of these characteristics:
- It suggests tragic consequences for not performing some action
- It promises money or gift certificates for performing some action
- It offers instructions or attachments claiming to protect you from a virus that is undetected by anti-virus software
- It claims it's not a hoax
- There are multiple spelling or grammatical errors or the logic is contradictory
- A statement urging you to forward the message
- It has already been forwarded multiple times, evident from the trail of e-mail headers in the body of the message
Some websites that provide information about hoaxes and urban legends:
Reprinted in part with permission from US-Cert, a government organization.
