What are people's reactions when you alert to email hoaxes on snopes.com?

[Tiger926]

This has always been a pet peeve of mine - people don't check the reliability of emails. Instead, they forward emails with false and erroneous information. Then when you mention to them that it's a hoax, and even send them the direct link to snopes.com, you get attitude. Anyone else experience this? I've had situations where people were actually angry or irritated with me and sometimes expect an apology. I don't get it...It's not like correcting someone's spelling/grammar, which can be taken in a personal way. This is good email etiquette - we get tons of emails for home, work, school, shopping, etc., so we keep a very short lease with forwards and such (we don't participate in them at all). I just send them a short email, or mention it quickly on phone that I thank them for looking out for us, but the email is a hoax and then I link to Snopes. Nothing hurtful or rude at all.

Instead of saying thanks, or apologizing, they seem irritated that you sent the link. I've even had people justify and believe what was in the email, and they are then irritated with me for not believing the hoax? WTH?

What is your experience with this? Tiger

 

[bicker]

Not much different from yours. Just remember: You're in the right, and as long as you point out the error politely, you'd actually be remiss in doing anything other than what you're doing.

 

[Christine]

Same experience as you. They either totally ignore me and (thankfully) remove me from their mass e-mails or they get totally PO'd and try to tell me how Snopes is wrong.

I don't get it either. But most of the stuff that goes out and has to be disproven seems to be crazy, political spewing vile stuff. The people who send this DON'T want to know the truth because it just doesn't mesh with their rage and hate.

 

[Kies99]

I too check Snopes for just about everything and will send back a link to the sender, I've never had anyone get angry or upset. I don't even want to say I'm ignored. I either get no response or a polite thank you.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I get these emails from my elderly aunt, my elderly family friend and my not elderly gullible DSIL. If it is political from the aunt and family friend (why do you send out blatantly political emails to people if you don't know what their views are?) I will send a link and say something like, "This website checks out emails, it says this is not true." Most of the time I just delete those. But my gullibly sweet DSIL gets all kinds of things sent to her, and she believes them. It has gotten to be a joke that I will check Snopes and send her a link, and she will say.."I KNEW you were going to do that!" (Why she doesn't check it herself..I don't know.)

I really wish I could send the Snopes link to the people that send them to my family/friends.

 

[VillageMama]

I'm still waiting for someone to respond to me with, "Thank you, dear friend, for setting me straight! I must have been an idiot to believe that if I sent out an email to ten people, that Dell would send me a free laptop. That Snopes site you sent me to is fascinating and I am spending hours a day reading every single hoax so that I don't make this type of boneheaded mistake again. Of course, even if I hadn't invested a minute or two in verification, I should have just known that the forwarded/forwarded/forwarded message was false. I didn't even have the courtesy of deleting all of the previous string of emails in the note. You are my best friend, ever, for caring about me enough to show me the truth.".

Nope! No matter how gently I correct their misinformation, if I hear anything at all, it's attitude.

 

[Sgt Mickey]

Most people have stopped sending me stuff. No one has been rude about it but no thanks either and I am much happier getting less email.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I had an uncle who said "thanks" and those crazy emails stopped. However now I only get the political ones that I depise.

I think I want the lies back.

Remember you can't spell "families" without "lies". (Taken from the movie "Four Christmases").

 

[Breezy_Carol]

My supervisor at work passed out a printed copy of an email, I think it was about putting your cell phone on the do not call list. (This was a while ago.) I told her it was a hoax, checked out on Snopes, whatever the e-mail was. She said "well if you want to get all those phone calls, don't do it."

 

[ogreenlee]

It's unbelievable, huh?

People need back-up to their skewed views. When then see these emails, they feel validated, and then pass them on. They do get testy when you send Snopes back.

I've stopped getting these emails/comments because of this. Now they just send them to people they share their skewed views with, and perpetuate ignorance/hate.

 

[happygirl]

My thing is most of the things I get things that could likely happen, so I don't get annoyed. Actually I will thank most people for trying to help. I don't feel the need to prove them wrong

 

[lovesmurfs]

I've tried to let people know. But I've come to the conclusion, "Don't try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig."

So I don't forward any emails at all and just delete.

 

[phorsenuf]

I just got one yesterday from my MIL. She said, I hope this is true. I checked Snopes, it wasn't so I replied back saying sorry, not true and gave the link.

 

[Tiger926]

I guess it's common - no political emails around here, it's medical, kidnappings, poisonings, etc. I honestly don't feel people should take offence to this at all. They are sending us mass emails to our private email addresses - good email etiquette would dictate that you best be sure the recipients want these emails, and secondly, that the emails are true. It's also not about proving anyone wrong - I don't want to receive this kind of stuff, as I am very busy. Sure anything is possible, but we all know that, so we don't need to be constantly reminded with silly emails.

I know with my friends/family it's not malicious intent at all - they are just trying to be helpful to people...so, by the same token, they should be able to take my response back to them showing them that it isn't true, so that should be a relief to some. I can't imagine what it must be like to live in constant fear of people kidnapping you, poisoning you, robbing you, etc. All those mass emails do is foster more fear in people, IMHO.

Thanks, Tiger

 

[Jennasis]

I do this. My mom sends me forwards all the time. Fear mongering. So I check snopes and e-mailed her back back the link debunking the myth. She kept doing it. One time I sent the link to EVERYONE she had forwarded too. The forwards stopped (for a while).