Message circulating rapidly on Facebook warns that some applications are sending out pornographic messages in your name. The message warns that you should not open any message claiming that someone answered a question about you because it is a virus.
Email purporting to be from Paypal, claims that the customer must verify account information because a "strange ip from a different location" attempted to login and account access has therefore been limited for security reasons.
Advance fee scammers use a seemingly never-ending variety of back stories as vehicles for finding new victims. And, in a related tactic, they often tend to target people that have been previously caught out in such scams.
A great way to get information from many sites across the web is via "feeds". Feeds have been around for quite a while now, but exactly what they are and how they work may still be somewhat obscure to many web users. In a nutshell, feeds allow websites to distribute their content directly to interested readers. By "subscribing" to a feed, readers can choose to have site updates delivered automatically via their chosen feed reader. There are a great many feed reading applications available, a lot of which are free. And modern email clients such as Outlook and Thunderbird allow you to grab feeds right alongside your email. Although it may seem a little geeky to some, using feeds is quite easy and almost always completely free. A site's feeds are often identified by the universal orange Feed Icon, just like the one for Hoax-Slayer News Digest that you can see near the top right of this page.
If you would like to find out more about feeds, Google has published a useful overview on its Feedburner website.
Message warns that simply accepting an email from a sender called Simon Ashton (simon_25_@hotmail.co.uk) will allow him to hack your email account as well as the accounts of others on your email contact list.
Email claims that a popular restaurant in the US city of Atlanta has been shut down after the owner was caught accepting shipments of rats and mice to use in meals.
Email claims that 9-year-old Penny Brown is missing and urges you to forward the message to others.
Get notified via email when a new Digest is published. Enter email address:
Or subscribe to Digest notifications via RSS:
Editorial
If you find Hoax-Slayer useful then why not become an official Hoax-Slayer Supporter?
In exchange for a contribution of just $5.00, you will receive:
The knowledge that your payment will help fund my ongoing fight against Internet scammers, malicious pranksters, spammers and other online malcontents.
Membership of the private HS Supporters Forum, where you can discuss hoaxes, scams and computer security issues, suggest ideas and articles for Hoax-Slayer, discuss fight-back strategies for reclaiming the Internet and a lot more.
After you click the Donate button, you will be taken to the Paypal website, where you can securely make your payment. You do not need a Paypal Account as you can use your credit card if you wish. When the transaction is completed, I will receive a notification email from Paypal.
I will then contact you via email to personally thank you for your contribution and to officially invite you to register on the HS Supporters Forum.
Please note, that this is NOT an automated system. Since you have been good enough to make a contribution to Hoax-Slayer, I much prefer to make direct contact and thank you personally rather than have a machine automatically spit out a form letter. Because I am not using an automated system there may be a short delay before you receive your invitation email, but it should get to your inbox within 24 hours.
Please click the "Donate" button to make your $5 contribution