> > >There is a new bill in US Congress that will be affecting all
> > >Internet Users.
And the bill's designation, by which you should be able to find it
on the calendar, is WHAT? [Hint: If this were real, the bill would
have one, and it would be quoted in any reputable alert message.]
> > >You might want to read this and pass it on with a prayer.
E-mail hoaxes always try to convince you that you are doing something
good by filling other people's mailboxes with them. REAL alerts get
sent first to people who have actually asked to receive them.
> > > CNN stated that the Government would in two weeks time
> > > decide to allow or not allow a Charge to your (OUR) phone bill
> > > equal to a long distance call each time you access the Internet.
Three points:
(a) "in two weeks time" is a relative timeframe without any anchor
point. The original message might have been sent 15 days ago -- or
10 years ago. [There are hoaxes which use such relative times to
suggest urgency, that have circulated for at least 7 years on the net
and probably longer.] A reputable alert would provide an absolute date
as deadline for action.
(b) CNN is not an official agency or authority. Citations to it
MUST include at minimum the date, and probably the time; if the story
had merit, it was probably also carried on wire services and so there
should be a print record to check. [Another famous hoax cites a "60
Minutes" interview of Janet Reno, allegedly broadcast during a year in
which they did not interview her....]
(c) This sounds suspiciously like a mutant version of the FCC "Modem
Tax" proposal (dropped before it would have reached the status of a
"bill", if ever) from around 1990 -- warnings about it still crop up
occasionally.
> > >Please visit the following URL and fill out the necessary form!
> > >
> > >The address is http://www.house.gov/writerep/
Many email hoaxes seem designed to swamp/overwhelm the mailbox of some
third-party entity, against whom perhaps the perpetrator bears some grudge.
Effectively, it's a social engineering ploy to get well-meaning dupes to
inflict a Denial of Service attack. Not something a firewall can really
help with, but something computer/network security personnel should be
aware of....
> > >If EACH one of us, forward this message on to others in a
> > >hurry, we may be able to prevent this injustice from happening!
E-mail hoaxes always try to convince you that you are doing something
good by filling other people's mailboxes with them. REAL alerts get
sent first to people who have actually asked to receive them.
ANY TIME you get a message that urges you to forward it to the world,
take a moment to check around on the web. There are several sites that
collect known email hoaxes, and you may find it already there....
Check out
http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html
although it hasn't been updated in almost six months.
David Gillett
Network Security Engineer
General Magic, Inc (operators of portico.net)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(408) 774-4384
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