British Airways Giveaway Hoax
Summary:Email claims that recipients can receive free air travel in exchange for forwarding emails (
Full commentary below.)
Status:False
Example:(Submitted, 2003)
I thought this was bollocks, but they got back to me within a week!!!!!!!!
I contacted the London BA office - THIS IS REAL!!!!!!
Due to the SARS and the recent war in Iraq, the number of passengers flying
world- wide has fallen dramatically. We at British Airways have launched an
international media campaign which aims to fill our aircraft once again. A
part of this campaign is direct email advertising. This is where YOU come
in! British Airways, along with Microsoft are tracking this email, and for
every 5 people you forward this to, you will receive a flight to London
return from any destination in the world (if your in the UK, you can fly to
any Asian destination return). Send this email to 10 people and you are
eligible to fly ANYWHERE in the world return to your depature point!
Simple as that!
However, that only catch is you MUST travel BEFORE 31st October 2003. You
will be contacted via email within 5 working days for your full contact and
booking details. Note: one flight per person only.
Commentary:
This hoax email promises free air travel in exchange for forwarding emails.
British Airways is NOT running any such media campaign. The company has
been inundated with calls about this "campaign" since the email began
spreading.
British Airways has information about the hoax in their
Online Press Office that states in part:
British Airways would like to emphasise that a chain e-mail currently in circulation around the world promising free flights is a hoax.
The e-mail and its contents are complete rubbish and British Airways is NOT endorsing any such offer.
Anyone who receives the e-mail should respond in one way - by pressing the delete button.
Like a number of other email hoaxes, the central tenant of the British Airways giveaway hoax is that individual emails will be specifically tracked so those who forward the email can be rewarded. This is nonsense. Under controlled conditions, it would probably be possible to insert code into an email to allow it to be tracked in some way. However, it is highly improbable that British Airways or any other legitimate company, would employ such a tactic.
Write-up by Brett M.Christensen
