When you get a dire sounding forwarded forwarded forwarded email...

[MaryAnnDVC]

...and you check snopes and as expected, it's a bunch of BS, do you let the sender know? Do you "reply all" and let everyone else know? Or do you just ignore it, in the hopes that every other recipient knows to do some research and NOT just do what the email says to do if they find themselves in the same dire situation?

I just don't understand why seemingly intelligent people are willing to blindly pass on to everyone in their email address books the frightening story of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend...

Please help me decide, because I've got my reply (to "all") sitting in my drafts folder, ready to hit "send".

 

[diznygirl]

Depends what the email says and if I want to embarrass the sender. Sometimes it's just too good to pass up. Otherwise I just hit delete.

 

[joyjoy]

I'll always reply, not to ALL, but certainly to the sender saying "You do realize this is an urban legend debunked a while back on snopes, right?" And of course a link to snopes.com. Since usually those kinds of emails come from just a few of the same people, it doesn't take many of those replies about snopes to make them stop.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I do a reply all. It did eventually get DFiL and DSiL to stop sending most of them. I get about 90% less than I used to. Took about a year for them to stop. I always was very poliet and said something like "this is worded so well I can see how it could easily fool many people that is why I want to be sure noone is unnecesairly frightened by this fasle information. Here is the snopes link explaining the situation." What I always wanted to say was along the lines of quit being such an idiot and look before you forward, but well that wouldn't make me many firends

 

[Pembo]

I've been known to snopes and tell. However my boss sent one the other day promising a free laptop . It felt wrong to snopes her.

 

[brerrabbit]

I work in the energy industry and imagine how I felt when one of our Field Reps sent me a question from a customer that was based on one of those type of e-mails. I responded gently to the guy but still took the opportunity to remind him of who he works for and the really dumb question he had just asked on the behalf of the customer.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I have replied (not to all though) and it doesn't work.

Now if the sender was trying to tick me off on purpose and I was PSMing I might reply to all.....

Bottom line, it will start an email war and frankly I just ignore irritating emails like that. I try to spend less energy on crap that means nothing in the long run.

 

[NewCrew42]

I've been known to snopes and tell. However my boss sent one the other day promising a free laptop . It felt wrong to snopes her.

My parents sent me this email over the weekend, which had been sent to them by my DSiL.

I did do a reply all, including the link to snopes that showed it was false.

I think I said something like, "Sorry guys, none of us are getting a free computer."

Good grief, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

I think I learned that from parents, who forwarded the email to me...

 

[Pakey]

I'm a snope and teller too.

 

[SAHDad]

I don't go to snopes. I immediately send the banking information to the Nigerian prince/warn everyone about abductions at Wal-mart/delete computer files that are guaranteed to be viruses/etc. After all, if it's on the Internet, it must be true, right?

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

This is what I wrote (but haven't sent yet):

I always check snopes.com (excellent site) when I receive a forwarded warning, and found the following information:

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/fakecop.asp

Probably the best advise given is to use 9-1-1. If you want a more direct phone route to state police, be sure to know ahead of time what works in your state, but according to snopes, if you're near a state border, that could complicate getting through to proper authorities.

A google search of "*77 cell phone" brought up this helpful information:
http://www.ou.edu/oupd/highway-cell.htm

 

[pixiewings71]

I do...yes, I do....not always a reply to all but I at least the original sender a link to snopes. It's cut down on my junk mail, and it's helped others figure out what is real and isn't real. I love snopes and I'm a definitely snope and teller! LOL

 

[diznygirl]

"Snope and Tell"

I love it!

 

[MissyDVC]

I do always check snopes first and then let the person who sent it to me know about snopes and what it said about that particular story.

 

[Feej]

"Snope and tell" here too. And depending on who sent me the email, I may reply all as well, though sometimes its too easy to embarrass and upset the original sender.

If they are a "repeat offender" however.........

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I do always check snopes first and then let the person who sent it to me know about snopes and what it said about that particular story.

I do the same thing, and the sender told me that he heard that Snopes isn't very reliable.

 

[MM27]

I just delete those emails. If it makes someone happy to think they are saving me from being killed by gang initiation when I don't flash my lights, helping me get a free laptop or money from Bill Gates or any other crazy scenerios, then I let them

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Depends on who sent it, the subject, and my level of annoyance or concern that people will believe the nonsense.

One time when I replied, the dope responded "well..better safe than sorry!" No, nitwit--better to be thought a fool than to speak up (or in this case respond) and remove all doubt.

I mean seriously people--you won't be carjacked via post-it note!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I do the same thing, and the sender told me that he heard that Snopes isn't very reliable.

No--but forwarded e-mails without paper trails and research should be believed without any shadow of doubt.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

My poor DSIL does this all the time. We have a joke about me sending them back to her with the Snopes link. I laugh, she laughs. If I can reply all, I do, because she is very gullible so she has some bozo that keep sending these stupid things to her and she believes them.

My elderly aunt send me political (against my beliefs) ones meant to rile everyone up, and I will send a Snopes link back on those, just because I am irritated.

I think my favorite one of these was an email about a bizarre tree growing in India. Well, read it for yourself. An older family friend sent this email to me, thought I was gonna die.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/natural/indiatree.asp