The "Computer Incident Advisory Capability" estimates that in its lifetime a hoax or chain letter could cost over $40 million in lost time alone. Add that to the cost of lost bandwidth and disk storage space. And some chain letters get forwarded so many times that they contain hundreds of fresh e-mail addresses. Spammers use those chain letters to harvest e-mail addresses and send out more spam, further compounding the problem. Worse, hoaxes get taken seriously more often than you might expect. In a senatorial debate in New York this past year a highly respected news reporter asked both candidates how they felt about "Bill 602P" - the bill calling for an e-mail tax. "Bill 602P" it turns out is a classic urban myth that's been on the Internet for years. Regardless, the two candidates vigorously debated the phony bill. The next day a talk radio show in New York mocked the whole scenario by inviting on a special guest: Tony Schnell. Mr. Schnell was the fictitious congressman mentioned in the same e-mail tax hoax. And yes, listeners still called in to confront the bogus congressman on the air.
The results of hoaxes being taken seriously are not always so comical. Last year there was a hoax circulating about some demented individual mailing damp sponges infected with the "deadly Kingerman virus" to random victims. Some poor old woman from Palm Beach County read this hoax, and became concerned after receiving what turned out to be magazine ads in a bright blue envelope. After calling 911, the Sheriff showed up at her door with a bomb squad, hazardous materials team, and a postal inspector. A week later a similar scene took place in Auburn, Maine when someone received a promotional sanding sponge and immediately alerted the authorities. Urbanlegends.com quotes how the AP reported it: "Emergency dispatchers kept [him] on the line while fire trucks, cruisers and ambulances rushed to his home. The street was sealed off for half a mile. Police called the FBI. People in spacey hazardous materials suits ushered [him] outside, stripped him down to his shorts and sprayed him with a fire hose before sending him to the hospital."
The next time your friend forwards you a hoax, instead of following the orders to "FORWARD THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW," it might be a better idea to just delete the e-mail. Then kindly point your friend, to the "Hoaxbusters Home Page" (http://HoaxBusters.ciac.org/) or to the "Zeitgeist" section of "Urbanlegends.com" (http://www.urbanlegends.com/ulz/index.html) where they can learn more about hoaxes and even find archives of debunked myths. While you won't get $1000 from Bill Gates, you may just help put hoaxes to rest for good.
