Marco Sun, List of Internet Hoaxes and Rumors

A-Z List of Net Hoaxes & Rumors

90# Phone Scam Alert [Rumor]
A half dozen or so variations of this alert have been in wide circulation since 1998. The scam is real, but it does not affect typical residential phone customers.

Aaron Russell Steinmetz: Missing Child [Junk]
Another defunct alert. Andrew Steinmetz was kidnapped by his father, then recovered safe and sound by authorities.

Abercrombie & Fitch Giveaway [Hoax]
A prank, basically a sequel to the "free clothes from The Gap" chain letter below.

Afghan Women's Rights Petition [Junk]
Not a hoax, but a sincere effort gone astray.

Amy Bruce Chain Letter [Hoax]
Yet another opportunity to save a dying child who doesn't exist.

Antiperspirants Cause Breast Cancer [Hoax]
This false rumor has been thoroughly trounced by medical professionals.

AOL to Charge for Instant Messages [Hoax]
Age-old false rumor targeting America Online members.

AOL/Intel Merger Giveaway [Hoax]
Just forward this message, sit back, and wait for your check to arrive! And wait. And wait. And wait.

AOL/Microsoft Merger Giveaway [Hoax]
Another bogus "email tracking" offer.

AOL/Netscape Merger Giveaway [Hoax]
Sorry, folks. Microsoft will not be handing out cash to everyone who forwards this message.

Asbestos in Crayons
The email rumors are based on an actual news story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. (Coverage by About.com's Art for Kids Guide.)

Asha Degree: Missing Child
A valid email alert which unfortunately contains no contact information.

Aspartame (NutraSweet) Warning [Rumor]
Overblown email flyer dating from 1995, alleging that NutraSweet causes just about every malady known to humankind. Scientists balk.

ATM Envelope Poisonings [Hoax]
False rumor declares that a bank customer died after licking a cyanide-coated deposit envelope.

Attempted Child Abduction at Sam's Club [UL]
Three email versions are now circulating of this decades-old (and false) urban legend.

Backseat Killers & Ankle-Slashing Gangs [UL]
Two more well-known urban legends show up as an email warning.

Bananas Spread Flesh-Eating Disease [Hoax]
Necrotizing fasciitis, a rare and deadly disease, allegedly infects an entire crop of Costa Rican fruit.

Bath & Body Works Giveaway [Hoax]
And free stuff from J. Crew, as well! Two more "email tracking" pranks to add to the ever-growing list.

'Bile Bears' in China (Petition) [Junk]
This is a well-intended e-petition containing fairly accurate information, but "signing" it is a waste of time.

Bill 602P - a 5-Cent Tax on Email [Hoax]
They're at it again! The post office, we're told, wants to place a tax on every email delivered.

Bill Gates is the Antichrist! [Hoax]
It all adds up... to 666.

'Bill [Gates] Sux' Etched on Pentium Chip [Hoax]
Who would dare invite Satan's wrath in this way?

Biscuits for Brains [UL]
FLASH! Woman Shot in Head by Pillsbury Dough Boy!

The Bizarre Suicide of Ronald Opus [UL]
Circulating on the Internet since 1995 and still going strong.

Black Voting Rights to Expire in 2007 [Rumor]
This email alert, bouncing around the Internet since January 1997, has just about all of the facts wrong.

'Blue Star' LSD Tattoo [UL]
Email alert claims that colorful cartoon stickers laced with LSD pose a threat to children everywhere.

Breast Ogling Makes Men Live Longer [Rumor]
Tabloid journalism and email rumormongering intersect once again.

Cell Phone Giveaway - Nokia and Ericsson [Hoax]
Hoax messages say Nokia and Ericsson are giving away mobile phones.

Cell Phones Cause Gas Station Explosions [Rumor]
Still unsubstantiated, but 'tis better to be safe than sorry.

The Char-Broiled Scuba Diver [UL]
As featured in the recent film "Magnolia," as well as a currently circulating email.

The Chicken Cannon [UL]
Yankee engineers prove themselves superior once again.

Citizens Against Breast-Feeding [Hoax]
Sign this petition if you want to ban this "incestuous perversion" from the United States.

'Class Project' Chain Letters [Junk]
Don't bother responding to Mr. Blevins' 5th grade class – their email address has been canceled.

Cockroach Eggs on Envelopes [UL/Hoax]
Postal Service worker's tongue gives birth to live cockroach!

Cockroach Egg Tacos at Taco Bell [UL]
A fast-food horror story, as told in six different locations around the U.S.

Cologne Sniffing Scam [Rumor]
You all know not to take candy from strangers. Well... it's not safe to sniff their perfume, either.

Columbine High School Shootings [Rumors]
Americans attempt to share their grief over the Littleton massacre through email chain letters.

Congressional Pensions vs. Social Security [Rumor]
Members of the U.S. Senate and Congress enjoy lavish pensions at taxpayer expense.

Corpses of Children Used to Traffic Drugs [UL]
An old urban legend (c. 1973) dressed up in new clothes for the Internet.

'Cough CPR' Can Save Your Life [Rumor]
According to the American Heart Association, the "live-saving" technique advocated in this email is not recommended in the absence of medical supervision.

Craig Shergold Chain Letter [UL]
Story of the little boy whose life was saved by a chain letter that won't die.

Dave Matthews Chain Letter [Hoax]
Rock star philanthropist offers up his email address to help sick & dying kids.

David 'Darren' Bucklew Chain Letter [Hoax]
This one's a rewrite of the old "Timothy Flyte" chain letter (below) – just as bogus, just as annoying.

David Lawitts Chain Letter [Hoax]
Supposedly dying of lung cancer due to secondhand smoke.

Eddie Murphy/Michael Jordan Mistaken for Muggers [UL]
New email versions of this old urban legend have Eddie Murphy and Michael Jordan scaring the heck out of white people on elevators.

Electricity Is a Funny Thing [UL]
In case you needed it, proof that urine and electicity don't mix.

EMI/Time Warner Merger Giveaway [Hoax]
Another "email tracking" hoax promising money and vouchers for free merchandise.

The Exploding Toilet [UL]
Our hapless protagonist tosses a lit cigarette into the selfsame toilet where his wife recently dumped gasoline.

The Fatal Hairdo [UL]
The email variant of this very old horror story warns of what can happen when a mother doesn't wash her child's braids.

Fatima Hareez Chain Letter [Hoax]
Practically a carbon copy of the "Kalin Relek" hoax below.

Febreze Warning [Rumor]
An email warning in circulation since January warns that the fabric deodorizer Febreze is toxic to pets.

'Free Stock' Chain Letters [Junk]
Internet start-ups offer shares of nonexistent stocks for free.

Gap Giveaway [Hoax]
Yet another "email tracking" prank. Forward this message and get a free Hawaiian shirt from Gap. (Not!)

Gap Giveaway, Part II [Hoax]
A sequel to the original Gap chain letter purportedly authored by the company's founder.

'Gas Out' 2000 [Junk]
Forwarded email incites Americans to protest high gasoline prices by skipping 3 days at the pumps.

'Gay Jesus' Film [UL]
Email petition incites Christians to protest the making of a film depicting Jesus and the disciples as gay.

Gerber Savings Bond Giveaway [Rumor]
Fax and email alerts falsely claim that Gerber Products Co. lost a class action suit and now must pay out restitution to millions of American children.

Gerbilling Mishap Injures Two [Hoax/UL]
Not counting the gerbil, that is.

Good Luck, Mr. Gorsky [UL]
What Neil Armstrong really said when he first set foot on the moon.

'Good Samaritan' Killer at the Mall [UL]
A murderous, well-dressed "good samaritan" supposedly lurks in the parking lots of shopping malls just about everywhere.

'Guinness Book of Records' Chain Letter [Hoax]
Just forward this message and get your name listed in Guinness – along with a million or so other folks.

Gullibility Virus Warning [Hoax/Joke]
Send this to everyone you know! Hurry!

Gypsy Testicle-Snatching Ring [Hoax/Joke]
Funded by the Chinese Communist Party!

'Hanoi Jane' Fonda [Rumor]
Allegations about Fonda's activities as an anti-war activist are partly fact and partly fiction.

Harry Potter Turns Kids to Satanism [Rumor]
Chain letter contains alleged quotes from 10-year-olds who say they hate Jesus and love Satan.

Headlight Flashing 'Gang Initiation Rite' [UL]
Urban legend from the early '90s re-emerges as a frightening email alert.

Heroin Needle Kills Child in McDonald's Ball Pit [UL/Hoax]
The "Kevin Archer" story, curiously similar to 1998's tall tale about snakes in a Burger King ball pit.

HIV Needles on Gas Pumps [UL]
More needle-stick incidents, this time centered in Jacksonville, Florida.

HIV Needles in Movie Theater Seats [UL]
"Welcome to the world of AIDS." The latest round of needle-stick incidents.

HIV Needles in Pay Phone Coin Slots [UL]
Are drug addicts everywhere trying to kill us all with their dirty syringes?

Honda Car Giveaway [Hoax]
Find out right here how to get a brand spanking new Honda Civic just for forwarding a chain letter.

Hotmail Overload [Hoax]
Hotmail users who do not forward this chain letter are in danger of losing their accounts.

How to Avoid Speeding Ticket Penalties [Rumor]
Email touts a too-good-to-be-true scheme for preventing points from being assessed against your driving record.

SPECIAL: Is The Hunger Site Legit?
The answer is yes! You'll find verification here.

Hydrogen Beer Explosion [Hoax/Joke]
Japanese man suffers serious burns while belching blue fire in karaoke bar!

IBM Computer Giveaway [Hoax]
Latest entry in the "email tracking" hall of fame.

Internet Cleaning Day [Hoax]
It's time for the annual Internet shutdown for cleaning and maintenance!

iWon.com Chain Letter [Hoax]
Forward this message and make big bucks!!!

Janet Reno Defines 'Cultist' [Hoax]
This utterly bogus quote attributed to Janet Reno several years ago is still circulating.

Jermaine Beerman Chain Letter [Hoax]
Yet another "dying child" hoax, debunked by About.com's Charleston, SC Guide.

The Jessica Mydek Chain Letter [Hoax]
Jessica Mydek, a 7-year-old girl supposedly dying of cancer, does not exist, nor will the American Cancer Society contribute money for every time this chain letter is forwarded.