The Internet has proved to be a perfect medium for propagation of online hoaxes. The topics range from warnings about fake computer viruses or other types of frightening urban legends to lures of gaining rich rewards.
Internet hoaxes are originally created to disseminate a message as widely as possible. Sometimes that is the only intent, and other times the sender is actually attempting to defraud recipients of money. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website has information about what can be done to combat online consumer fraud, including a form to report situations to them.
Whether hoaxes are sent simply to see how far they will go or sent as actual fraud, they all have the deleterious effect of clogging up the Internet. If hoaxes appear to originate from someone using campus email systems, please contact abuse@berkeley.edu to ensure that appropriate action is taken to stop the activity.
For more information see:
- HOAXBUSTERS, "A public service of the CIAC Team and the U.S. Department of Energy"
- Searchable Computer Virus Databases
- Vmyths.com
- Korova Multimedia "Hoax du Jour"
- Symantec's AntiVirus Research Center - Virus Hoaxes
- Urban Legends and Folklore
Also see related Berkeley Computing & Communications (BC&C) newsletter articles:
- Chain email, hoaxes, and scams--Oh my!
- Stop clicking and start thinking: The potential for an email virus plague
