Tips & Tricks

E-mail Tax?

You heard a rumor that the government is going to start charging a five cent tax on every e-mail you send out, is it true?

NO!

I've been getting lots of people forwarding around this old hoax again. So, if you get something in your inbox that says the government is considering bill 602P to place a 5 cent tax on e-mail, inform the sender that it's a hoax (and please don't send it to me :-)

Which brings me to my point. Just because something comes in your e-mail doesn't automatically make it true (well, unless it's from me of course ;-). Before you forward it to everyone in your address book, do five minutes of research.

For example, when I first saw this e-mail tax deal over a year ago I was understandably worried. However, before I sent out a copy of the e-mail to thousands of people, I went to a search engine and typed in the bill number, 602P.

In less than a minute, I discovered it was nothing but a hoax. There is no bill 602P.

Also, just FYI, Disney and Bill gates aren't giving away free vacations, there are no little girls dying of cancer who get a dollar for everyone you forward their message to, and, no, you aren't going to have a terrible accident if you stop forwarding chain letters. (Just so you know, it's impossible to track forwarded e-mail, so when you see something that claims to do it, it's automatically a hoax.)

Oh, and while you're at it, don't delete files from your computer because a forwarded e-mail says they contain viruses (the Sulfnbk.exe hoax is going around yet again). Check it out first!

Finally, please don't forward these type of e-mails "Just in case it's true". Sending stuff like this around is the equivalent of having an internet "kick me" sign hanging off your back.

(Whew, I feel much better :-)

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