Tracking email

[Nemo]

I recieved an email that was forwarded a few dozen times, the original message said it was from a 7 yr. old girl that had cancer and brain damage. She said a foundation was going to give her 7 cents for each name on the list, should I believe this email? My question is how they could track this email do they attach a cookie or something and it records everyone's email so they can sell it to mailing list, has anyone else recieved a message similar to this one.

[U-96]

It sounds like a common, or garden variety, chain letter.

Discard it, it's junk.

If you follow the claims through mathematically, I doubt that the world has enough gold reserves to cover the cost of their donation.

The reason you were sent this email is because someone YOU know, or has your email address, did also not appreciate that it was a hoax.

http://www.cert.org for the latest viruses, scams, etc.

http://www.nonprofit.net/hoax/newhoax.html#Chain
An example of another "sympathy" chain email

U-96

Be vigilant! Be pure! Behave!

[Ygor]

This is just a chain letter. Usually it says the american cancer society will donate 3 cents per name. With inflation, now 7 cents.

The trouble is, it would be simpler to just donate whatever the budget allows, apart from the fact that the ACS doesn't fund this way. No one does, the accounting involved would eat up the donation that way.

There is a similar one that goes around claiming to be from Bill Gates and worth $X for each name that passes it along. Trouble is, there is no one to send it to at Microsoft after it hits so many names.

That one appeals to greed, but the ones that play on one's sympathy about cancer & children are even more vile imho.

Socalgal, more online safety...