1/29/09

Think twice before forwarding that e-mail

by Beckye Randall

I'm a big fan of e-mail. Sending messages, documents and photos electronically is a convenient, time-saving innovation that I use all the time, both professionally and personally.

I have even, on occasion, sent a bulk e-mail message. Usually it's to invite friends to a party or remind our columnists of upcoming deadlines. I could probably count on one hand the number of times I've forwarded a slideshow of kittens or a dire warning about neurotoxins in our water.

But my Inbox is often crammed with just such nonsense. The senders are almost always well-meaning friends who think it's their duty to inform others of government secrets or Microsoft giveaways or threats to the American way of life. Usually the e-mail will contain just enough truth to be convincing. But with just a little effort, most of these claims can be debunked and put to rest, instead of clogging the Information Superhighway and bloating millions of e-mail accounts.

I can usually spot an out-and-out fabrication, hoax or scam just from the writer's spelling and punctuation choices. The number of explanation points at the end of a sentence is in direct proportion to its likely deletion. Likewise, I don't take seriously anything that's written in all caps or in giant fonts.

Indications that the e-mail has been forwarded numerous times also decrease its credibility. If the sender doesn't know how to delete previous addressees and subject lines from the message, it's probably a good bet that he or she also doesn't know how to research the e-mail's claims.

And that research is relatively easy, thanks to several well-organized Web sites that exist specifically to counter Internet hoaxes and rumors. Want to know if a virus warning is real? Visit www.snopes.com and you'll find the answers. Is Obama ineligible for the presidency because he's not a U.S. citizen? Go to www.factcheck.org to find the truth, along with the likely source of the lie.

There are many other sites dedicated to debunking-or validating-rumors spread online. About.com hosts an Urban Legends destination, and e-mail providers like Microsoft and Google post warnings about the dangers of scams perpetrated through electronic channels.

As Microsoft notes, "Many e-mail hoaxes will trick you into forwarding messages about fake viruses or other fabricated stories. These e-mails waste time, clog inboxes, and might cause embarrassment when they're proven untrue. But there are other, more insidious types of fraud that might end up costing you a lot of money."

You know the ones-the Nigerian prince or the long-lost college buddy who contacts you out of the blue, asking for your help. Or an official-looking e-mail from PayPal or your bank that says your account has been flagged because of "suspicious" activity and urges you to log on to your account from a link in that e-mail.

The Washington attorney general's office maintains a comprehensive list of current scams, and tips on preventing fraud perpetrated through e-mail, at www.atg.wa.gov.  While much of the content is aimed at seniors, anyone with an e-mail account is vulnerable to online predators.

So what's the harm in passing on that inspirational "What a Wonderful World" slideshow or a humorous list that explains "How to know if you're over the hill"?

Think of it as another piece of junk mail clogging up your real mailbox, postcards and flyers and uninvited credit card offers that you have to sort through and try to figure out whether to trash, recycle or shred them. Or someone tapping you on your shoulder to tell an inappropriate joke while you're trying to finish your spreadsheet for today's meeting. Or being confronted by anonymous remarks, to which you can't respond directly, that denigrate your faith or your politics.

Unless you know the recipient enjoys that sort of thing-maybe he just sent you a photo collection of funny dog poses-think twice before hitting that "forward" button. Use the wonders of electronic communication to actually communicate, sharing original thoughts and valid information, inviting discourse and conversations.

And please, take my e-mail address off anything that has been forwarded more than once if you plan to send it on.   

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