How to Deal with an Email Hoax or Urban Legend

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By dcole
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Snopes.com is your best debunking resource

I love my friends and I appreciate that they want to pass on information that might keep me safe. But oh how I dislike those mass forwarded emails of internet hoaxes that masquerade as important information. You get them too, I’m sure. Do you forward them on? Please don’t! Here’s the responsible thing to do when you get one of these hoax emails that seem to be information.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Computer, internet, email
Common sense
Responsible attitude

Step 1

Learn to recognize the signs of a hoax.

Does the email seem urgent?
Is some expert quoted?
Is your health or safety (or your family’s or your computer’s) threatened?
Is a seemingly helpful solution to a problem (one you didn’t even think of) suggested?
Are you encouraged to send it to everyone you know?

RED FLAG ALERT!

One of the reasons these hoaxes are perpetuated is because they sound so likely. There is often a grain of truth in the story, or if not, it sounds like it could be true. That’s no reason to believe it, nor is your trust in your friend a good reason to believe it. If your friend jumped off a cliff would you follow him? (Do I sound like your mother? well she was right about this!)
Step 2

CHECK IT OUT!

Never, and I mean NEVER forward an email of this type without checking out the information yourself. Even if it has a quote from Snopes in it, don’t believe it. Go to Snopes.com or Google a few words from the email and see if it has been reported as a hoax or urban legend.

It is amazing how few people take the responsibility of checking on the information that they so eagerly pass on to their friends. This is how rumors, gossip, and viruses spread. These emails are an information virus and you don’t want to be one of the perpetuators who spread it around. There’s no excuse for this, honestly.
Step 3

REPLY ALL

Now that you’ve discovered that the forwarded email is a hoax, don’t just ignore it. Think of all those gullible, well-meaning and (yes) lazy people who your friend sent this to who are now passing it forward. This must be stopped. Go to the email, and choose Reply All (not just reply to your friend). Write a friendly (really try not to be hostile, superior, accusatory or spiteful now) little note about the falsity of the information and include a link to Snopes.com, preferably the link to the page debunking this particular false claim.

“Hi hon, Thank you for the email but it raised some red flags with me so I checked it out at Snopes.com [place URL here] and found that it’s a hoax. You might want to spread the word back to the person who sent this to you so that hoaxes like these can be stopped. Your friend,”
Step 4

Feel good. You’ve done a good deed today, debunking falsity and promoting responsibility. Yay you!
Step 5

Once in a while you may get one of these and not find it on Snopes (highly unlikely but let’s say it’s possible). Consider carefully before forwarding it. Does it help your friends to know this if it IS true? If it is false, will it hurt your friends to believe it’s true? What about that coughing for a heart attack thing? Would it save a life or could it make things worse? Check it out, then use some common sense. If you’ve received this as a forwarded email, chances are so has Snopes and there’s a report.
Step 6

And what if it’s TRUE? What about not using cruise control in the rain? (this one is true). Check it out, and if it turns out to be true, go ahead and share it. You can even mention that you’ve checked it out with Snopes and give the link for your not-so-lazy friends. If you exercise this kind of responsible action, your friends will learn to trust the information you pass on, which will be good for all of us.

Comments

fraph said

Flag This Comment

on 8/7/2009 Thanks

dcole said

on 7/25/2009 Thank you to everyone who has commented on "How to Deal with an Email Hoax or Urban Legend." I appreciate your comments. This article has enough comments now, and i would really appreciate comments on other, more recent articles rather than this one. Thank you!