Chain letters all have a similar pattern. From the older printed letters to the newer electronic kind, they all have three recognizable parts:

      A hook.
      A threat.
      A request.

    First, there is a hook, to catch your interest and get you to read the rest of the letter. Hooks used to be "Make Money Fast" or "Get Rich" or similar statements related to making money for little or no work. Electronic chain letters also use the "free money" type of hooks, but have added hooks like "Danger!" and "Virus Alert" or "A Little Girl Is Dying". These tie into our fear for the survival of our computers or into our sympathy for some poor unfortunate person.

When you are hooked, you read on to the threat. Most threats used warn you about the terrible things that will happen if you do not maintain the chain. However, others play on greed or sympathy to get you to pass the letter on. The threat often contains official or technical sounding language to get you to believe it is real.

Finally, the request. Some older chain letters ask you to mail a dollar to the top ten names on the letter and then pass it on. The electronic ones simply admonish you to "Distribute this letter to as many people as possible." They never mention clogging the Internet or the fact that the message is a fake, they only want you to pass it on to others.

Chain letters usually do not have the name and contact information of the original sender so it is impossible to check on its authenticity. Legitimate warnings and solicitations will always have complete contact information from the person sending the message and will often be signed with a cryptographic signature, such as PGP to assure its authenticity.

What should you do?

If you receive a chain letter in your e-mail, either delete it. Do not send it to your friends and relatives because you will be clogging up the network. In addition, you lend your reputation to the message, making it appear to be authentic even when that is not the case. Hit the delete button instead and put that message where it belongs.

Many hoaxes are chain letters, but not all chain letters are verifibly hoaxes and, in fact, could describe real events. The hoax warnings either describe things that cannot be true or have been traced to the perpetrator who admitted that it was a hoax. Chain letters, on the other hand, often describe things that may be real. In general, we believe they are all fakes, but that fact is often difficult or impossible to verify. We still suggest that you do not pass them on, even if they could be real. The damage done by passing them on is much higher than the warning in the message.

Why do people send chain letters?

Only the original writer knows the real reason, but some possibilities are:

1. To see how far a letter will go.
2. To harass another person (include an e-mail address and ask everyone to send mail, e.g. Jessica Mydek).
3. To bilk money out of people using a pyramid scheme.
4. To kill some other chain letter (e.g. Make Money Fast).
5. To damage a person's or organization's reputation.

PENPAL GREETINGS!

The PENPAL GREETINGS! hoax shown below appears to be an attempt to kill an e-mail chain letter. This chain letter is a hoax because reading an e-mail message does not execute a virus nor does it execute any attachments; therefore the Trojan horse must be self starting. Aside from the fact that a program cannot start itself, the Trojan horse would have to know about every different kind of e-mail program to be able to forward copies of itself to other people. Notice the three parts of a chain letter, which are easy to identify in this example.

The Hook: FYI!
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.

The Threat
       This is a warning for all internet users - there is a dangerous virus propogating 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!

The Request
      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!!!!
 
 

Make Money Fast Warning

The Make Money Fast Warning is similar to the Good Times hoax, but appears to be a warning message that is attempting to kill an e-mail chain letter. While laudable in its intent, the warning has caused as much or more problems than the chain letter it is attempting to kill.

        ******VIRUS ALERT****** ******VIRUS ALERT****** ******VIRUS ALERT******

        There is NEW VIRUS rapidly affecting computers on the internet.  This new virus is insidious, in that it transmitted as a USENET message. Usenet is the "news group" area on the internet that users can openly discuss and exchange information on a wide variety of topics.

        What makes this virus DOUBLY DANGEROUS, is that it is disguised as a common chain letter.  Chain letters have been passed across usenet almost since it's beginning.  Lately, a common chain letter subject is MAKE MONEY FAST.

        The Make Money Fast (MMF) chain is read by thousands of people daily. It is also known as: "Easy Cash", "Make Cash Fast", "Turn 5$ into $50,000" and many others. They are all basically the same scheme, in which the reader send $1 to each of the 5 people at the bottom of the list, then moves his name onto the list.

        The MMF Virus, as it has been doubed, rides along on these chain letters as a "hidden binary attachment".  Since most news reader programs (computer programs used to read USENET messages) will automatically decode and store binary attachments, there is NO SAFE WAY to protect yourself from infection.

        The virus attackes your system the next time you run your news reader.
        Though the virus is transmitted during a normal usenet session, your NEXT usenet session will probably be your last for a while. As a hidden attachment, it is automatically activated with your news reader, and very quickly destroys your partition table.  Generally, this is not even noticed until the next time you try to run ANY program.

        The next thing the virus does is to place your micro processor into an nth-complexity infinate binary loop, quickly destroying it.  This will appear at first as a normal "lock-up" but will quickley wipe out the delicate circuitry in your system.

        The people that run usenet, at: news.admin.net-abusers are working night and day on a cure.  Perhaps some day an automatic process will be able to detect the MMF Virus in usenet messages and cancel them, but that is some time off.

        At this point, your ONLY hope is to NOT DOWNLOAD ANY MESSAGES that have a subject similar to above.  Please, FORWARD this message to ANYONE you know that reads usenet news.

        Thank you,
        News.Admin.Net-Abusers

The warning appears to be attempting to kill the following e-mail message that came with the Subject: Make Money Fast, that describes how to start an illegal pyramid scheme on the Internet.

        Hello! I've got some awesome news that I think you need to take two minutes to read if you have ever thought "How could I make some serious cash in a hurry???" , or been in serious debt,  ready to do almost anything to get the money needed to pay off those bill collectors. So grab a snack, a warm cup of coffee, or a glass of your favorite beverage, get comfortable and listen to this interesting, exciting find!
           Let me start by saying that I FINALLY FOUND IT! That's right!. found it! And I HATE GET RICH QUICK SCHEMES!! I hate those schemes like multi-level marketing, mail-order schemes, envelope stuffing scams, 900 number scams... the list goes on forever. I have tried every darn get rich quick scheme out there over the past 12 years. I somehow got on mailing lists for people looking to make money (more like 'desperate stupid people who will try anything for money!').
 

    A chain letter is a "get rich quick" scheme that promises that your mail box will soon be stuffed full of cash if you decide to participate. You're told you can make thousands of dollars every month if you follow the detailed instructions in the letter.

A typical chain letter includes names and addresses of several individuals whom you may or may not know. You are instructed to send a certain amount of money--usually $5--to the person at the top of the list, and then eliminate that name and add yours to the bottom. You are then instructed to mail copies of the letter to a few more individuals who will hopefully repeat the entire process. The letter promises that if they follow the same procedure, your name will gradually move to the top of the list and you'll receive money -- lots of it.

There's at least one problem with chain letters. They're illegal if they request money or other items of value and promise a substantial return to the participants. Chain letters are a form of gambling, and sending them through the mail (or delivering them in person or by computer, but mailing money to participate) violates Title 18, United States Code, Section 1302, the Postal Lottery Statute. (Chain letters that ask for items of minor value, like picture postcards or recipes, may be mailed, since such items are not things of value within the meaning of the law.)

Recently, high-tech chain letters have begun surfacing. They may be disseminated over the Internet, or may require the copying and mailing of computer disks rather than paper. Regardless of what technology is used to advance the scheme, if the mail is used at any step along the way, it is still illegal.

The main thing to remember is that a chain letter is simply a bad investment. You certainly won't get rich. You will receive little or no money. The few dollars you may get will probably not be as much as you spend making and mailing copies of the chain letter.

Chain letters don't work because the promise that all participants in a chain letter will be winners is mathematically impossible. Also, many people participate, but do not send money to the person at the top of the list. Some others create a chain letter that lists their name numerous times--in various forms with different addressee.
So, in reality, all the money in a chain is going to one person.

Do not be fooled if the chain letter is used to sell inexpensive
reports on credit, mail order sales, mailing lists, or other topics. The primary purpose is to take your money, not to sell information. "Selling" a product does not ensure legality. Be doubly suspicious if there's a claim that the U.S. Postal Service or U.S. Postal Inspection Service has declared the letter legal. This is said only to mislead you. Neither the Postal Service nor Postal Inspectors give prior approval to any chain letter.
 

Make Money Fast Chain Letter

The warning is attempting to kill the following e-mail message that came with the Subject: Make Money Fast, that describes how to start an illegal pyramid scheme on the Internet.

        Hello! I've got some awesome news that I think you need to take two minutes to read if you have ever thought "How could I make some serious cash in a hurry???" , or been in serious debt,  ready to do almost anything to get the money needed to pay off those bill collectors. So grab a snack, a warm cup of coffee, or a glass of your favorite beverage, get comfortable and listen to this interesting, exciting find!
           Let me start by saying that I FINALLY FOUND IT! That's right!. found it! And I HATE GET RICH QUICK SCHEMES!! I hate those schemes like multi-level marketing, mail-order schemes, envelope stuffing scams, 900 number scams... the list goes on forever. I have tried every darn get rich quick scheme out there over the past 12 years. I somehow got on mailing lists for people looking to make money (more like 'desperate stupid people who will try anything for money!').
           Well,  when I was a teenager,  these claims to 'get me rich quick' sounded irresistible! I would shell out $14.95 here, $29.95 there, $24.95 here, and another $49.95 there.  I had maxed out my new Circuit City Card AND my Visa...I was desperate for money!!  So, I gave them all a chance but failed at every one of them! Maybe they worked for some people, but not for me.  Eventually, I just tossed that JUNK MAIL in the trash when I got the mail.  I recognized it right away.  I can smell a money scam from a mile away these days,  SO I THOUGHT.... I thought I could sniff out a scam easily.  WAS I WRONG!!  ....I LOVE THE INTERNET!!!
           I was scanning thru a NEWSGROUP and saw an article stating to GET CASH FAST!!  I thought..."Here on the Internet??  Well, I'll just have to see what schemes could possibly be on the internet." The article described a way to MAIL A ONE DOLLAR BILL TO ONLY FIVE PEOPLE AND MAKE $50, 0000 IN CASH WITHIN 4 WEEKS!  Well, the more I thought about it, the more I became very curious. Why? Because of the way it worked AND BECAUSE IT WOULD ONLY COST ME FIVE DOLLARS (AND FIVE STAMPS), THAT'S ALL I EVER PAY....EVER!! Ok, so the $50,000 in cash was maybe an tough amount to reach, but it was possible.  I knew that I could at least get a return of $1,000 or so.  So I did it!! As per the instructions in the article, I mailed out ('snail mail'for you e-mail fanatics) a single dollar bill to each of the five people on the list that was contained in the article.  I included a small note, with the dollar, that stated "Please Add Me To Your List." I then removed the first position name of the five names listed and moved everyone up one position, and I put my name in position five of the list.  This is how the money starts rolling in! I then took this revised article now with my name on the list and REPOSTED IT ON AS MANY NEWSGROUPS AND LOCAL BULLETIN BOARD MESSAGE AREAS THAT I KNEW.  I then waited to watch the money come in...prepared to maybe receive about $1000 to $1500 in cash or so.... But what a welcome surprise when those envelopes kept coming in!!!  I knew what they were as soon as I saw the return addresses from people all over the world-Most from the U.S., but some from Canada, even some from Australia!  I tell you, THAT WAS EXCITING!!  So how much did I get in total return?  $1000? $5000? Not even!!! I received a total of $23,343!!!  I couldn't believe it!! Let's review the reasons why you should do this:  The only cost factors are for the five stamps, the 5 envelopes and the 5 one dollar bills that you send out to the listed names by snail mail (US Postal Service Mail).  Then just simply repost the article (WITH YOUR NAME ADDED) to all the newsgroups and local BBS's you can.  Then sit back and, (ironically), enjoy walking (you can run if you like! :o  ) down your driveway to your mailbox and scoop up your rewards!! We all have five dollars to put into such an easy effortless investment with SPECTACULAR REALISTIC RETURNS OF $15,000 to $25,000 in about 3-5 weeks! So HOLD OFF ON THOSE LOTTERY NUMBERS FOR TODAY,EAT AT HOME TONIGHT INSTEAD OF TAKEOUT FROM McDONALDS AND INVEST FIVE DOLLARS IN THIS AMAZING MONEY MAKING SYSTEM NOW!!! YOU CAN'T LOSE!! So how do you do it exactly, you ask? I have carefully provided the most detailed, yet straightforward instructions on how to easily get this underway and get your cash on its way. SO, ARE YOU READY TO MAKE SOME CASH!!!?? HERE WE GO!!!

        *** THE LIST OF NAMES IS AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE. ***

        OK, Read this carefully. Get a printout of this information, if you like, so you can easily refer to it as often as needed.

        INSTRUCTIONS:

        1. Take a sheet of paper and write on it the following:
        "Please add my name to your list". This creates a service out of this money making system and thus making it completely legal. You are not just randomly sending a dollar to someone, you are paying one dollar for a legitimate service. Make sure you include your name and address. I assure you that, again, this is completely legal! For a neat little twist, also write what slot their name was in: "You were in slot 3", Just to add a little fun! This is all about having fun and making money at the same time!

        2. Now fold this sheet of paper around a dollar bill ,(no checks or money orders), and put them into an envelope and send it on its way to the five people listed. The folding of the paper around the bill will insure its arrival to its recipient. THIS STEP IS IMPORTANT!!

        3. Now listen carefully, here's where you get YOUR MONEY COMING TO YOUR MAILBOX. Look at the list of five people; remove the first name from position one and move everyone on the list up slot one on the list. Position 2 name will now move to the position 1 slot , position 3 will now become position 2, 4 will be be 3, 5 wil be 4.
        Now put your name, address, zipcode AND COUNTRY in position 5, the bottom position on the list.

        4. Now upload this updated file to as many newsgroups and local bulletin boards' message areas & file section as possible. Give a catchy description of the file so it gets noticed!! Such as:
        "NEED FAST CASH?, HERE IT IS!" or "NEED CASH TO PAY OFF YOUR DEBTS??", etc. And the more uploads, the more money you will make, and of course, the more money the others on the list will make too. LET'S ALL TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER BY BEING HONEST AND BY PUTTING FORTH 120 PERCENT INTO THIS PROFITABLE & AMAZING SYSTEM!!! You'll reap the benefits, believe me!!! Set a goal for the number of total uploads you'll post, such as 15-20 postings or more!  Always have a goal in mind!!! If you can UUE encode the file when uploading,  that will make it easier for the people to receive it and have it downloaded to their hard drive.  That way they get a copy of the article right on their computer without hassles of viewing and then saving the article from the File menu. Don't alter the file type, leave it as an MS-DOS Text file. The best test is to be able to view this file using Microsoft's Notepad for Windows 3.x or WordPad for Windows '95. If the margins look right without making the screen slide left or right when at the ends of the sentences, you're in business!

        5. If you need help uploading, simply ask the sysop of the BBS, or "POST" a message on a newsgroup asking how to post a file, tell them who your Internet provider is and PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS BE GLAD TO HELP.
        I would try to describe how to do it but there are simply too many internet software packages with slightly different yet relatively simple ways to post or upload a file.  Just ask for help or look in the help section for 'posting'. I do know that for GNN, you simply select 'POST' then enter a catchy description under the subject box, choose 'ATTACH', selecting 'UUE' and NOT 'TXT', then choose 'Browse' to go look for the file. Find your text file CASH.TXT and click on it and choose 'OK'. Place a one line statement in the main body section of the message post screen. Something like "Download this to read how to get cash arriving in your mailbox with no paybacks!" or whatever.
        Just make sure it represents its true feasibility, NOT something like..."Get one million dollars flooding in your mailbox in two days!"

        You'll never get ANY responses!

        6. And this is the step I like. JUST SIT BACK AND ENJOY LIFE BECAUSE CASH IS ON ITS THE WAY!! Expect to see a little money start to trickle in around 2 weeks, but AT ABOUT WEEKS 3 & 4, THE MONEY STORM WILL HIT YOUR MAILBOX!! All you have to do is take it out of the mailbox and try not to scream too loud (outside anyway) when you realize YOU HIT THE BIG TIME AT LAST!!

        7. So go PAY OFF YOUR BILLS AND DEBTS and then get that something special you always wanted or buy that special person in your life (or the one you want in your life) a gift they'll never forget. ENJOY LIFE!

        8. Now when you get low on this money supply, simply re-activate this file again; Reposting it in the old places where you originally posted and possibly some new places you now know of. Don't ever lose this file, always keep a copy at your reach for when you ever need cash. THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE TOOL THAT YOU CAN ALWAYS RE-USE TIME AND TIME AGAIN WHEN CASH IS NEEDED!

        [ Name List Removed ]

        *** AGAIN, HONESTY IS THE BEST THING WE HAVE GOING FOR US ON THIS PLAN.
 

How to Identify a Hoax

There are several methods to identify virus hoaxes, but first consider what makes a successful hoax on the Internet. There are two known factors that make a successful virus hoax, they are:
(1) technical sounding language, and
(2) credibility by association.
If the warning uses the proper technical jargon, most individuals, including technologically savy individuals, tend to believe the warning is real. For example, the Good Times hoax says that "...if the program is not stopped, the computer's processor will be placed in an nth-complexity infinite binary loop which can severely damage the processor...". The first time you read this, it sounds like it might be something real. With a little research, you find that there is no such thing as an nth-complexity infinite binary loop and that processors are designed to run loops for weeks at a time without damage.
When we say credibility by association we are referring to who sent the warning. If the janitor at a large technological organization sends a warning to someone outside of that organization, people on the outside tend to believe the warning because the company should know about those things. Even though the person sending the warning may not have a clue what he is talking about, the prestige of the company backs the warning, making it appear real. If a manager at the company sends the warning, the message is doubly backed by the company's and the manager's reputations.
Individuals should also be especially alert if the warning urges you to pass it on to your friends. This should raise a red flag that the warning may be a hoax. Another flag to watch for is when the warning indicates that it is a Federal Communication  Commission (FCC) warning. According to the FCC, they have not and never will disseminate warnings on viruses. It is not part of their job.