Issue 73 - Hoax-Slayer Newsletter

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This month in Hoax-Slayer:

• Cooking an Egg with Mobile Phones
• Marks & Spencer Voucher Giveaway Hoax
• Iraq Soldier Advance Fee Scam
• Plastics Cancer Link Email - Plastics In the Microwave or Car
• Get More With a Hoax-Slayer Premium Subscription
• Praying Mother and Son Rock Formation
• Mexican Drug Money Photos
• FBI Fraud Alert Lottery Scam
• Paris Hilton Stabbed in Jail Hoax
• Hand Sanitizer Alert Email
• Use Email Auto-Replies With Caution
• Eagle Lifting Fox Photograph

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Summary:
Message claims that an egg can be cooked by placing it between two active mobile (cell) phones.

Status:
False

Example:(Submitted, June 2007)
Commentary:
According to this message it is possible to cook an egg by placing it in between two call-connected mobile (cell) phones. Versions of the message have been circulating via email, blogs and online forums since at least 2006. The version discussed here typically travels as a Microsoft Word email attachment, complete with photographs.

The information in the message is untrue. An article that detailed how to cook an egg with mobile phones was first published on the Wymsey Village website in 2000, supposedly by Suzzanna Decantworthy and Sean McCleanaugh. However, the article was a hoax and the names of the writers were made up. The creator of Wymsey Village Web, Charlie Ivermee, eventually admitted to Gelf Magazine in 2006 that he was the real author of the prank article. He explains that, back in the year 2000, he decided to "add to the silliness" surrounding mobile phone health concerns by penning the piece. He explained to Gelf that he "really underestimated how many people would take it seriously".

During 2006, two Russian journalists, Vladimir Lagovski and Andrei Moiseynko, gave the hoax a whole new life when they claimed to have cooked an egg in around 65 minutes using two mobile phones. Ivermee's original hoax article was apparently the inspiration for the experiment. An article discussing the experiment was featured in Russian publication, Komsomolskaya Pravda. The photographs and text in many of the circulating versions of the story are derived from this Russian article. However, the results of the Russian experiment have never been substantiated and are highly questionable. Others who have tried the same experiment have failed to even warm the egg, let alone actually cook it. The Three Wise Men website details an experiment in which three mobile phones, and several other devices that emit radiation were all combined in an egg cooking attempt that turned out to be a dismal failure. Freelance food writer Paul Adams also attempted the experiment and subsequently wrote about it in a New York Times article. He told National Public Radio (NPR) that, although he left an egg between two cell phones for around an hour and a half, the egg did not cook. Moreover, UK television science show, Brainiac, tried the experiment with no less than 100 mobile phones, but, again, the egg did not cook.

Most commentators agree that two mobile phones simply could not emit enough energy to actually cook an egg. An article debunking the hoax on the Mobile Manufacturers Forum website notes:

[T]he claim that RF energy from two mobile phones can cook an egg in 60 minutes cannot be true as it is impossible for the egg's temperature to rise to a level that will cook the egg. We can demonstrate this as follows: even if you assume that each mobile phone is emitting RF energy at its maximum average power of 0.25 W (based on a peak power of 2 W per phone) for 60 minutes; and even if the total power (2 X 0.25 W = 0.5 W) of both phones was completely absorbed by the egg (assuming it weighs 50 g), then the result would be a maximum temperature rise after 60 minutes of only 13 C. Even if the egg was at room temperature before starting the experiment, the result would still be far below the temperature actually needed to cook an egg (which is approx. 65- 70 C).

In reality, an egg placed between two phones would have a much lower temperature rise because the egg is not thermally insulated and it would only absorb a small portion of the energy emitted.

So, although this story has spread far and wide, and some of the sites on which it has been published still claim it to be true, in reality, it has no basis in fact. You cannot cook an egg with a pair of mobile phones.

References:
Wymsey Weekend - Weekend Eating: Mobile Cooking
How to Cook an Egg (and Create a Viral Sensation)
Translated Version: Can I cook the egg with a mobile phone?
Original Russian Version: Can I cook the egg with a mobile phone?
HOW-NOT-TO, Cook an Egg With Your Cell Phone
Take Egg Off Speed Dial
A Hard-Boiled Writer Eggs Himself On
Brainiac - Episode 14: Micro Waves
Mythbusters Fanclub: Cooking an egg with cell phones
Cooking an egg by two mobile phones: Hoax

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Summary:
Message claims that Marks & Spencer and Persimmon Homes are giving away vouchers worth up to £500 for those who forward the email to others.

Status:
False

Example:(Submitted, June 2007)
Commentary:
This email forward claims that UK retailer, Marks & Spencer and UK building company Persimmon Homes are offering free vouchers to people who forward the email to a specified number of people. According to the message, those who forward the email to 8 people will receive £100 worth of M&S vouchers while those who forward it to 20 people will receive M&S vouchers valued at £500.

However, the claims in the message are entirely untrue. The email is just one more in a long line of similar hoaxes that claim money, vouchers or products are being given away in exchange for forwarding a message.

As the following example illustrates, it seems that the prankster responsible has simply used an older hoax about free mobile phones as a template and altered company and product details accordingly:

SonyErricsson is giving away phones for free. SonyErricsson is Trying word-of-mouth advertising to introduce its product and the reward You receive for advertising for them is a free phone free of cost.

To receive your free phone all you have to do is to send this email Out to 8 people (for a free SonyErricsson j200i) or 20 people (for a Free SonyErricsson k400i WAP).

Within 2 weeks you will receive a free phone. (They will contact you through your e-mail address). Please mark a copy to: - anna.swelam@sonyerricsson.com

In turn, the "SonyErricsson" hoax is just a modified version of an even older hoax that claimed Nokia was the company passing out free phones. Yet another version claims participants will receive a free laptop computer for forwarding messages. Not one of these various incarnations has even a grain of truth and the Marks & Spencer Voucher version is no exception.

The strong similarity to earlier versions is enough by itself to clearly identify the message as a hoax. Moreover, Persimmon Homes has now published a message on its website denying any involvement in the supposed promotion:

A hoax e-mail is being circulated offering a promotion of free Marks and Spencer vouchers for forwarding the e-mail to colleagues and friends.

Neither Marks and Spencer or Persimmon Homes have made any such promotional offer.

Please delete the hoax e-mail and notify the people to whom you have sent it that it is a hoax.

No legitimate company is ever likely to run a promotional campaign based on how many times a particular email is forwarded. It is simply absurd to suggest that a company would give away expensive products or vouchers in exchange for the haphazard and uncontrolled forwarding of an email. The reach and ease of use of email means that such a message could find its way to hundreds of thousands of inboxes within weeks. Given that there are no conditions or limitations included in the message, a participating company could soon find itself obligated to hand over millions of dollars worth of products or vouchers.

Of course, many companies do run promotional giveaways of various kinds. However, such promotions are sure to be very tightly controlled via time constraints, maximum expenditure limits or other qualifying factors. And information about a promotion, along with conditions or limitations, will be made available to consumers via advertising, product labels, official entry forms, the company website and other legitimate channels. Such information certainly would not rely solely on the random journey of a vague and poorly written email message.

In short, any message that claims that a particular company or organization is giving away money, products or services based on how many times an email is forwarded is virtually certain to be a hoax. Forwarding such messages serves only to clutter inboxes and make the sender seem a fool.



References:
Sony Ericsson Phone Giveaway Hoax
Nokia Giveaway Hoax
Ericsson Lap-Top Computer Giveaway Hoax
Marks & Spencer
Persimmon Homes Feedback: Hoax E-mails

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Summary:
Email, supposedly from Sgt. Chuck White Fitte, claims that the recipient's help is needed to move millions of dollars in cash out of Iraq.

Status:
False

Example:(Submitted, June 2007)
Commentary:
An increasingly common tactic being used by advance-fee scammers is to pretend to be a US soldier based in Iraq who has found a stash of hidden loot. In the example shown above, "Sgt.Chuck White Fitte" and his comrades have chanced upon a fortune in cash apparently hidden by Saddam Hussein. But, claims the email, the soldiers need your help to move this money out of Iraq so that they can invest it. And, of course, they are willing to offer you a generous percentage of all this lovely cash in exchange for your help.

Sounds like a great opportunity doesn't it? You could become a millionaire overnight just for helping out a bunch of patriotic soldiers who surely deserve a reward for the extreme hardship and danger they face every day. Sure, the money is not really theirs (or yours) to move or invest but Saddam certainly doesn't need it anymore and, in any case, the dictator probably stole it to begin with. So, really, you shouldn't have too much trouble in convincing yourself that the money is fair game, yes?

But, alas, the wads of cash are just a figment of some slimy scammer's imagination who is certainly not a soldier based in Iraq. Like thousands of similar variations, the email is designed to temp the gullible into agreeing to participate in this enticing, once-in-a-lifetime "opportunity". Once our hapless victim, Mr. Greedy Gullible, agrees to proceed, the scammers will begin sending him requests for upfront payments. These payments, Mr. Scumbag Scammer will claim, are entirely necessary if the deal is to be successful and they cannot, under any circumstances, be deducted from the lump sum. According to Mr. Scammer, the payments are needed to pay bribes, insurance or legal expenses, delivery costs, or any other fanciful excuse that he can come up with.

Mr. Scammer will continue to extract further payments from Mr. Gullible until he has no more funds to give or, belatedly, realizes that he is being conned. Along the way, Mr. Gullible may have inadvertently submitted a wealth of personal information such as financial, address and employment details, and "verified" his identity by providing a social security number, his driver's license number and more. Thus, Mr. Scammer may collect enough information to steal Mr. Gullible's identity or sell it to a fellow scumbag.

Scam email cover stories about hordes of cash found by soldiers in Iraq may seem believable to some potential victims because such finds have actually occurred and have been widely reported in the media. In fact, some versions of the scam include links to genuine articles about such finds and even use the names of real soldiers in an attempt to add credibility to the scammer's spurious claims.

Sadly, Nigerian scams like this continue to claim victims all around the world. Advance fee scammers use a huge variety of stories to further their nefarious ends. Any email, fax, or surface mail message that claims you can receive a percentage of a large sum of money in exchange for helping to move or process the funds is very likely to be part of an advance-fee scam.

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Summary:
Email claims that freezing water or microwaving food in plastic containers or plastic wrap can lead to the consumption of cancer causing chemicals.

Status:
False

Update:
June 2007: A new variant of the hoax warning claims that drinking water from plastic water bottles that have been left in a car can cause breast cancer (details in commentary below).

Example:(Submitted, February 2005)
Commentary:
An earlier variant of this hoax referred only to the freezing of plastic water bottles. This later version has added on spurious information about using plastics in microwave ovens as well. Both versions contain false and misleading information.

Rolf Halden of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has expertly debunked the rumour linking plastic bottles to cancer. According to Halden the claim is an urban legend. He explains that:

Freezing actually works against the release of chemicals. Chemicals do not diffuse as readily in cold temperatures, which would limit chemical release if there were dioxins in plastic, and we don't think there are.

Experts also contradict the claim that using plastics in microwaves can cause dioxins to leech into the food. According to Edward Machuga, Ph.D, of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), "The FDA has seen no evidence that plastic containers or films contain dioxins and knows of no reason why they would". The general consensus is that using plastic containers or plastic wrap in microwaves is not dangerous, so long as microwave safe plastics are used and manufacturers guidelines are followed. The FDA article does admit that substances in plastics can leach into food. However, the FDA does not consider this to be a significant risk to humans. The FDA article maintains that:

The agency has assessed migration levels of substances added to regulated plastics and has found the levels to be well within the margin of safety based on information available to the agency.

The email also claims that Saran Wrap "drips poisonous toxins" into the food when used in a microwave. SC Johnson, the makers of Saran® plastic wrap has strongly refuted this claim and has released the following statement.

S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc. 1525 Howe Street
Racine, WI 53403-2236
262.260.2000
July 30, 2004
Statement Regarding Plastics in the Microwave Hoax

. In 2002, SC Johnson became aware of an e-mail that was being widely circulated, which warned consumers about the alleged dangers of using plastics in the microwave. This e-mail claimed that the combination of fat, high heat and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body, thereby increasing the risk of producing cancerous cells. SC Johnson has researched these claims and it is clear that the information is not only misleading, but also unnecessarily alarms consumers.

. When used in the microwave, there is no trace level migration of dioxins from any Saran™ or Ziploc® product. We know this because these products are 100% dioxin-free. You also should be aware that dioxins can only be formed when chlorine is combined with extremely high temperatures, such as the temperatures generated in waste incinerators. Those incinerators produce temperatures of more than 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit, an extreme temperature that even the most powerful consumer microwave ovens are unable to produce.

. Our Saran™ and Ziploc® products can be used with confidence when label directions are followed. All Saran™Wraps, Ziploc® Containers and microwaveable Ziploc® Bags meet the safety requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for temperatures associated with defrosting and reheating food in microwave ovens, as well as room, refrigerator, and freezer temperatures.

. For more information, please contact Kelly Semrau, Vice President, Public Affairs and Communication at 262-260-2102.

I have labelled this email forward as false for the following reasons:

• The email falsely claims that freezing water in plastic containers causes dioxins to enter the liquid.
  
  
• The email makes statements about a particular product, Saran Wrap, that have been effectively proved to be untrue by the company that makes the product.
  
  
• Dr. Edward Fujimoto is a real person who apparently did make at least some of the statements attributed to him. However, although Dr. Fujimoto told TruthorFiction.com that he had evidence supporting his claims, the article notes that he has so far failed to produce this alleged evidence. It appears that his claims remain unsubstantiated. To my knowledge, they have never been backed up by any sort of credible scientific studies. In fact, experts in the field have resoundingly refuted his claims. If credible scientific information backing up the claims in the email had been presented, the FDA, and other health authorities worldwide, would have certainly re-examined the issue. The previously mentioned FDA article states that the FDA will revisit its safety evaluation if new scientific information raises concerns. Apparently, no such scientific information has been forthcoming.
  
  
• The email makes no effort to back up the information it contains with any sort of checkable references.
  
  
• Some versions of the email (including the example above) claim that the information is endorsed by John Hopkins University and /or the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. However, I have found no evidence to support this claim. Earlier versions of the email did not include this supposed endorsement, so it appears that someone has added it to the message in an attempt to make the information sound more believable.
  
  
• The mainstream media and the medical establishment remain relatively silent on the issue in spite of the fact that versions of the email have been circulating for several years. If the information in the email had been proved to be true, or even partially substantiated by credible medical studies, then it would almost certainly be widely publicized in a variety of media. If true, informing the public about health risks associated with the use of plastics would certainly not be left to the random forwarding of a poorly written email.

Therefore, in my opinion, the information in this email forward should not be taken seriously. The misinformation contained in the email clearly identifies it as just one more among the many bogus warnings that continually circulate around cyberspace.

However, while the claims in this email forward are demonstrably untrue, alarmist and highly misleading, it is important to keep in mind that not all plastics are necessarily safe to use in microwave ovens. As stated earlier in the article, plastics are considered by experts to be safe to use in microwave ovens so long as microwave safe plastics are used and manufacturers guidelines are followed. However, some plastic containers - such as those that hold meals from fast-food outlets, or cold food receptacles such as margarine tubs - may not be suitable for microwave use. The American Plastics Council has information and resources about safely using plastics in the microwave oven on its website.

Update: June 2007:
During 2007, a new version of the warning message began circulating. According to this version, drinking water from a plastic bottle that has been left in a car can lead to breast cancer. Like the earlier version discussed above, the message claims that heat can result in cancer-causing chemicals leaking into the water. It also claims that singer Sheryl Crow contracted cancer in this way.

Sheryl Crow did appear on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in October 2006 to discuss her experience with breast cancer and share preventative tips with viewers. She also posted an article on her website in which she lists the following cancer prevention tips, among others:

Don't drink water from a bottle that has been sitting in your car. Heated plastic will bleed toxic substances that can be carcinogenic.

Don't heat or freeze in plastic for the same reason. Heat in glass.

According to the article, Sheryl was given this information by her nutritionist and was no doubt passing on the information to her fans in good faith. However, it seems that the nutritionist was simply perpetrating the same old totally unsubstantiated cancer myths that are discussed above. Again, there is no credible scientific evidence to back up the nutritionist's claims that heating or freezing plastic will leak toxins into the container's contents. Mayo Clinic dietitian Katherine Zeratsky also refutes the claims.

An example of the new variant is included below:
These "warning" emails are not the only chain letters that makes bogus claims about the dangers of plastic containers. Another email forward falsely claims that simply reusing plastic bottles can lead to the ingestion of cancer causing chemical agents. In fact, there are a number of myths and rumours associated with the use of plastics. For more information about plastic related myths, visit plasticsmythbuster.org.

References:
Rolf U. Halden
Researcher Dispels Myth of Dioxins and Plastic Water Bottles
Don't Use Plastic for Heating Foods in a Microwave Oven Because of Exposure to Dioxins
Microwaving with Plastics
The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Sheryl Crow/Christina Applegate *Breast Cancer Awareness* Battling the Cancer (and how to) and Loving the Horses (an updated article)
Microwave Madness: The Dish on Dioxins
Dioxin Doubletalk
Microwaving with Plastics Mayo Clinic:Freezing or microwaving plastic: Does it release dioxins?
Plasticsmythbuster.org: Heard Something About Plastics? Get the Facts Here

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Every Hoax-Slayer Premium subscription provides vital financial support to the Hoax-Slayer project as a whole. Ordering a Premium subscription is a great way to show your support.

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Summary:
Email message claims an attached image depicts a rock formation in Burma that resembles a mother and son praying by a lake.

Status:
False - The image is an illustration in s Korean children's book.

Example:(Submitted, August 2005)
Commentary:
This amazing image accompanies an email forward written in Portuguese. The message claims that the image depicts a rock formation on a lakeside in Burma. According to the message, the image depicts a praying mother and son and can be best viewed by tilting your head to the left.

Ayub, a Hoax-Slayer visitor, has been kind enough to translate the above message into English as follows:

This is a rock formation on the shores of a lake in Burma. It's only possible to view this image on a certain time of the year, due to the reflection of the angle of the sun. To view it better, tilt your head to your left as if you want to look at the image from a 90 Deg angle turned to the right and look at the reflection in the water joined together with the rock formation. Now, seriously isn't it pretty? Amazing nature.....

Another version circulates via an email with an attached Microsoft PowerPoint slide show that includes the following description in English:

This picture shows a rock on a sea in Birmania, it is only possible to see this once a year with a special angle of the sun and special light conditions. Bend you head to the left to see how spectacular it is.

The PowerPoint version shows horizontal and vertical views of the image and urges the recipient to "send this email to at least 10 persons".

The image has generated a lot of debate and speculation, with many people believing that it depicts a real rock formation. However, not surprisingly, the image is in fact a work of art and does not depict an actual landscape. The picture is a children's book illustration by renowned Korean artist Kim Jae-hong. The image and other similar illustrations in the sequence can be seen in photographs of the children's book displayed on a Korean blog post.

To download the Power Point version of the message to your computer, right-click the link below and select "Save target as". To view the presentation, Microsoft PowerPoint, the MS PowerPoint Viewer or another compatible program needs to be installed on your computer.



References:
Kim Jae-hong
Korean blog post (Google Translated from Korean to English)
Korean blog post (Original)

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Summary:
Series of photographs circulating via email and online show millions of dollars in cash seized during a drug raid in Mexico.

Status:
True

Example:(Submitted, June 2007)
Commentary:
The text that accompanies this series of photographs claims that the images depict $207 million found during a police raid at a drug-dealers residence in Mexico. Although the vast amount of cash shown in the images may seem almost unbelievable, the photographs are genuine. According to a March 2007 press release on the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) website, the horde of cash was indeed seized in Mexico:

MAR 20 -- $207 million is the largest single drug cash seizure the world has ever seen. This is like law enforcement hitting the ultimate jackpot. But luck had nothing to do with this windfall. This record-setting feat was the result of tremendous police work by Mexican law enforcement in collaboration with DEA throughout the past year.

This money was seized from chemical brokers that were supplying chemicals to Mexican cartels to manufacture huge quantities of methamphetamine—most destined for the United States. The citizens of Mexico and America should be encouraged because seizing this criminal organization’s revenue not only operationally and financially disrupts that organization but also cuts off the supply of a vital ingredient needed to make methamphetamine.

Read complete DEA press release

According to an International Herald Tribune article, 205.6 million of the stash was in U.S. dollars with the remainder in euros and pesos. The raid centred on a residence in Lomas de Chapultepec, a wealthy neighbourhood in Mexico City. As well as the cash, law enforcement agents also seized guns, luxury vehicles and drug making equipment.

References:
Two Hundred and Seven Million in Drug Money Seized in Mexico City
Mexico: World's largest drug cash seizure is larger than originally announced

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Summary:
Email purporting to be from the FBI claims that a previous Microsoft lottery notification sent to the recipient has been checked and found to be genuine.

Status:
False

Example:(Submitted, June 2007)
Commentary:
According to this email, The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been monitoring an ongoing transaction between the recipient and agents of the Microsoft Mega Jackpot Lottery. The recipient previously received a lottery notification email, supposedly from Microsoft, claiming that he or she had won a large some of money. The subsequent FBI message claims that the supposed lottery has been officially screened and found to be legal and that the recipient has a lawful right to claim the prize.

However, both the original claim that the recipient has won the lottery and the follow-up claim that the FBI has verified the transaction are entirely bogus. They are both part of a typical lottery scam designed to trick victims into paying fees and revealing sensitive personal information, ostensibly to facilitate the release of the entirely fictional "winnings".

Scammers often claim that their fake lotteries are managed or endorsed by Microsoft. However, such claims are completely untrue. Microsoft does not organize, promote, fund, or in any way endorse email-based lotteries or prize giveaways.

According to the message, the FBI has been checking various lottery transactions for possible fraud via its "intelligence Monitoring Network", but has found that the particular Microsoft lottery being discussed is genuine although similar promotions may be fraudulent. Thus, the scammers have attempted to alleviate any suspicions held by the recipient of the original lottery notification email by sending a follow-up email claiming that the FBI has verified the transaction as genuine.

Of course, this trick is quite transparently fraudulent, as a brief examination of the scam message reveals. It is vastly improbable that the real FBI would send a private citizen an unsolicited email verifying a particular transaction involving a lottery win. Moreover, if a US based agency such as the FBI did write such an email, it would not be sent from a free Yahoo web mail account based in the United Kingdom. The strange phrasing and poor grammar also indicate that the message is quite unlikely to be an official government notification.

The message also implies that the FBI routinely monitors the private messages of its citizens and was therefore able to verify the claims in the original lottery notification email without being explicitly requested to do so. While such clandestine and widespread surveillance of private citizens might not surprise more cynical observers, the full and open disclosure of such surveillance would be most surprising indeed.

As Internet users become increasingly aware of how lottery scams operate, scammers are likely to employ more clever tactics such as this FBI "fraud-checking" ruse to achieve their aims. In spite of these tactics, however, with a little foreknowledge, such scams are not difficult to recognize. Any email message that claims you have won money or prizes in a lottery promotion that you never even entered is almost certainly a scam, regardless of apparent endorsement by any high profile company or claims that any law enforcement agency has verified the supposed transaction.

For more information about lottery scams, see:
Email Lottery Scams - International Lottery Scam Information

References:
Microsoft World Lottery Scam
Email Lottery Scams - International Lottery Scam Information

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Summary:
Reports claims that jailed heiress Paris Hilton was stabbed multiple times by another prisoner.

Status:
False

Example:
Commentary:
Messages that claim that Paris Hilton has been stabbed while in prison are currently circulating online and via email. According to the messages, Hilton was stabbed multiple times by another inmate who became angry after being yelled at by the celebrity heiress.

However, the claims in the message are untrue. Paris Hilton is being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles County but has not be stabbed or injured. The rumours began circulating after a fake news report, designed to resemble a genuine CNN.com news article was published by prankster Michael Burke.

Burke has since owned up to the prank and states on his MySpace page:

On Friday after hearing the Paris Hilton news in regards to her going to jail, I decided to make this fake website to express my feelings about it being front page material:

The fake CNN site

According to Burke, the fake article recorded almost a million page views in the three days after it was published and has generated enquiries from all around the world. Staff at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department have also received many calls about the hoax report.

Another fake news website falsely claims that Paris Hilton committed suicide while in prison. In this case, the fake article has been designed to look like a real Australian ABC web page.

High profile celebrities are often the targets of hoaxes tricked up to look like genuine news articles.

References:
Paris jail stabbing hoax
Fake CNN Report: Paris Hilton Stabbed Multiple Times
Paris Hilton getting shanked: not as funny as I thought
ABC victim of Paris hoax

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Summary:
Email forward claims that a four-year-old child became dangerously drunk and required hospitalization after licking Hand Sanitizer from her hands.

Status:
True

Example:(Submitted, May 2007)
Commentary:
This email forward warns of the danger to children posed by consuming alcohol-based hand sanitizer and cites the case of a four-year-old girl who became very ill after licking sanitizer off her hands.

The information in the message is basically true*. According to a May 14 2007 Fox23 News report, four-year-old Halle Butler of Okmulgee, Oklahoma became very ill after eating hand sanitizer. Halle's pre-kindergarten teacher applied hand sanitizer to the child's hands before she ate lunch. However, Halle apparently licked the sanitizer off her hands rather than rubbing it in. The child soon became ill and was rushed to hospital where she showed signs of intense intoxication. Typical hand sanitizer contains 62-percent alcohol, significantly more than most hard liquor. Even a small amount would therefore be enough to make a small child drunk or ill. Thankfully, the child recovered after the alcohol left her system and is now doing well.

In the wake of this incident, Halle's parents are trying to raise awareness of the potential danger of hand sanitizers in the hope that similar events can be prevented. The school where the incident occurred has now stopped using hand sanitizers.

Halle's is not the only case of hand sanitizer poisoning reported. In another incident in San Diego, a teacher became ill after a 7th grade student spiked his drink with hand sanitizer. In other cases adults, including a prison inmate, have become ill after deliberately drinking hand sanitizer to get drunk.

Parents and those who work with children or other "at-risk" groups such as prison inmates should be vigilant when hand sanitizers are being used. Children should be strictly supervised when using such products. As the email notes, young children are apt to taste substances that older children and adults would never consider eating.

However, while the danger is real, hand sanitizers are not inherently dangerous if they are used as directed by their manufacturers. Also, it should be noted that, when used correctly, hand sanitizers can effectively reduce the spread of gastrointestinal and other illnesses. Therefore, as long as young children are carefully monitored when using hand sanitizers, their use in schools may be beneficial to students and the wider community as a whole.

* Note: The claim in the message that the child's blood alcohol level was 85% is obviously incorrect - levels of more than 0.45% are almost always fatal - but this is likely to be simply an error and may have been intended to read ".085%".

References:
Hand sanitizer makes girl drunk
Teacher's drink spiked with sanitizer; seventh-grader arrested
Warning: Don't drink the hand sanitizer
Using Hand Sanitizer Stops Germs from Spreading

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If you are going to be away from your computer, you can set up your email program to automatically reply to incoming emails with a message explaining that you are absent. These "Out-Of-Office" or "Vacation" replies can be a good way to let customers and friends know that you have received their message but will not be able to answer immediately.

However, some caution is required when configuring your automatic replies:

• Auto-replies may validate your address to spammers
  Replying to spam emails can lead to an increase in the amount of spam you receive. Replies let the spammer know that your email address is valid and active and your address may be elevated to a "priority" spam list and even sold to other spammers. Lists of active and validated email addresses are valuable to spammers, because they know that list recipients are more likely to read and respond to their messages. If you configure your email program to auto-reply to all incoming email, spam messages will also receive a reply, thereby validating your email address to the spammer.
  
  
• Auto-replies may let thieves know that you are away from home
  To be effective, business orientated "Out-Of-Office" replies may need to specify when and how long you will be away. However, "Vacation" replies sent from your home computer should not be too specific. Otherwise, your auto-replies could inadvertently let thieves know exactly when and how long your home will be vacant. Remember that, once an email leaves your inbox, you really have very little control over who sees it and where it ends up.
  
  
• Unnecessary auto-replies can waste bandwidth and clutter inboxes
  When ever I send out Hoax-Slayer Newsletter notification emails, I receive dozens of "Out-Of-Office" and "Vacation" replies. In fact, every email newsletter publisher is likely to receive these unnecessary emails. Obviously, there is generally no need to send a reply to email newsletters unless you have a question or comment.
  
  While this is not a major issue, with many thousands of email newsletters being sent out every day to millions of subscribers around the world, all those unnecessary auto-replies can quickly add up to quite significant amounts of email. Thus auto-replies can add to the gunk that already clogs the world's digital arteries.
  
  A related problem occurs when one auto-reply triggers another auto-reply and an endless loop of inbox-clogging reply emails results.

Thus, wherever possible, you should place controls on who gets your auto reply emails and make sure that each recipient only receives one reply. For personal vacation messages you could ensure that replies are only sent to specified addresses such as those listed in your personal address book. For business "Out-Of-Office" messages, you could make sure that replies are not sent to messages diverted to your "Spam" folder. Email filters can be setup in such a way that replies are only sent to messages matching particular criteria.

There is a number of good auto-reply managers available that can work in conjunction with your email program and help you deal with the above issues. Reviews of several such programs are included on About.com and a Google search will reveal many more.

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Summary:
Photograph shows an eagle lifting a fox from near a carcass partially buried in snow.

Status:
True

Example:(Submitted, June 2007)
Commentary:
This amazing photograph shows a Golden Eagle lifting a fox away from the body of a partly eaten animal in the snow. The photograph has been posted on numerous blogs and forums and is also circulating via email.

Although some have postulated that the photograph has been manipulated, it is in fact genuine. It is one of a series of shots snapped by Finnish photographer Pekka Komi.

With only one shot in the sequence included in the message, a viewer might conclude that the eagle actually carried away the fox, perhaps to make a meal of it. However, viewed in sequence, it is clear that the eagle and the fox are in fact competing for access to the carcass. The last shot in the sequence shows that the fox has escaped the clutches of the eagle.

Also, the picture was taken in South Finland, not Montana as claimed in the message.

References:
Wikipedia: Golden Eagle
Pekka Komi: Golden Eagle
Birdchick Blog: More on Golden Eagle vs. Fox

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