The following is an example of an email forwarding hoax.

Click here to find out why this is a hoax.

Hewlett-Packard and Gateway have just merged to form the biggest computer supplier in the world! Bigger than Dell, bigger than IBM, bigger than them all! In response to this amazing merger, IBM has set aside 250,000 free computers to reward and keep it's most loyal and trusted customers! I've already got mine, read on to see how you can get yours!!!

This email has a special encoding which will let IBM know every time you send it to one of your friends or relatives. The first 250,000 people who send this to at least 15 of their friends will receive a brand new IBM computer! After you send this to your friends, and qualify, IBM will contact you via email, and get your shipping address. Send them your address, and in a couple of days, a brand new computer, complete with printer, and 19" monitor is sitting on your doorstep! You must hurry,because this offer ends July 31 of this year!

Here's the catch, though. Each of your friends must send this to at least 5 people or you won't be eligible, so choose your friends wisely! Remember, a true friend will send this along for you! That's all it takes, no strings attached! No purchase necessary!!! You don't even have to have previously purchased a computer from IBM! They want to earn or keep your future business, and they're willing to pay for it!!!

Comment: Distrust anything written with an excessive amount of exclamation points.

The following is an example of an email forwarding hoax.

Click here to find out why this is a hoax.

    For cancer research...Tickle me!  :-) LOOK ITS
    ELMO!!!!!

                                 Elmo
                                 __   __
                               .'  '.'  `.
                            _.-|  o | o  |-._
                          .~   `.__.'.__.'^  ~.
                        .~     ^  /   \  ^     ~.
                        \-._^   ^|     |    ^_.-/
                        `\  `-._  \___/ ^_.-' /'
                          `\_   `--...--'   /'
                            `-.._______..-'      /\  /\
                               __/   \__         | |/ /_
                              .'^   ^    `.      .'   `__\
                            .'    ^     ^  `.__.'^ .\ \
                           .' ^ .    ^   .    ^  .'  \/
                          /    /        ^ \'.__.'
                         |  ^ /|   ^      |

    For every NEW person that this is passed on
    to The American Cancer Society will donate 3 cents to
    cancer research.  Please help us.

    Forward this to everyone you know.
    Thanks for helping!!

Comment: This is an old hoax that circulated in various forms last year. See what the American Cancer Society says about this hoax here.

The following is an example of an email forwarding hoax.

Click here to find out why this is a hoax.

Need some extra cash for the summer?

It is really very simple. Attached to this message is a tracking program. For every person you send this message to, you earn $10.00. For every person they end it to, you get $5.00, and so on. Basically, the more people you end this to, the more cash you earn. This is funded by national banks everywhere, who believe that summers should be fun, and want to help children and young adults learn to manage money. As you can see, all you need to do is send this to as many people as you can.

From a week to a month later, you will receive a check in the mail for however much money you earned by sending this, and how many people they sent it to.

Good luck, and await the check!

Hello, my name is Betsy. This really works, please don?t delete it! If you choose not to read it, at least send it to people so that they can have a chance. I got this e*mail and tried it. Exactly a week later, I received a check for $180.00! It was perfect timing, I?m going to Florida soon and really need the extra cash. Thanks sooo much for sending this to me, I hope someone else out there turns out as happy as I did!

Comment: "National banks" giving away money?

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