Widely circulated message claims that victims of the Joplin tornado who call to cancel their DIRECTV service due to the destruction of their homes are being told to send in their remote control or box or pay a fine of $500. The message asks recipients to boycott DIRECTV in protest.
Emails, purporting to be from a domain name registration entity in China, warn that someone is applying to register a series of domain names based on the recipient's brand name or existing domain name.
Message circulating on Facebook warns users not to join the group titled "becoming a father or mother was the greatest gift of my life" because it is operated by a group of pedophiles intent on accessing your Facebook photographs.
Abduction alert message circulating via social media warns that the driver of a black van with a number plate ending in 03A is trying to lure children into his vehicle by telling them they have won an iPod.
Message circulating on Facebook warns uses to watch out for notifications that say a friend has commented on your status because links in the notifications lead to a fake Facebook page that will steal login details.
Email purporting to be from money wire service Western Union claims that the recipient's account has been locked due to "multiple failed login attempts" and that the recipient must login via a link in the message and answer questions in order to restore account access.
Email claims that the recipient has won a United States Permanent Resident Card through Diversity Visa Lottery but is required to pay processing fees via Western Union before the visa can be issued.
When your computer misbehaves, a simple restart may be all that is necessary to set things right. I've lost count of the amount of times that recommending a reboot has solved a friend's computer problem without further ado. Glitches during normal operating can mean that important support files or programs that run in the background can be closed or corrupted. Conversely, remnants of improperly terminated programs may run unnoticed, wreaking havoc as they go. Such problems can mean that your software and hardware may not work as expected. By shutting down and restarting the computer, you are effectively starting afresh. During the reboot, files, services and programs are properly closed. Fresh new copies of the files needed to run your operating system and support your hardware are then loaded from the computer's hard drive during start-up. Once the restart is complete you will often find that the original problem has disappeared.
Various messages posted on Facebook claim that, by following a link and installing a Facebook application, you can see who has been viewing your Facebook Profile or find out who has been stalking you.
Message claims that two very destructive viruses are being distributed, one in an email concerning the capture or hanging of Osama Bin-Laden and another in an email with the subject "Invitation"
Message warns that an email attachment named "Black in the White House" or "Black Muslim in the White House" contains a damaging computer virus that can destroy the hard drive of the infected computer.
Email warning claims that criminals are attempting to incapacitate women in order to rob or rape them by handing them business cards laced with a powerful drug called Burundanga
Email claims that 7-year-old Amy Bruce is dying of lung cancer and a brain tumour and that the Make-A-Wish Foundation will donate money every time the email is forwarded.
Revamped version of the Microsoft email beta test hoax includes "testimonies" and a bank account screenshot of supposed money received. The message claims that Microsoft will send money to anybody who forwards it to others.
Message claims that the strange result when a Windows Notepad file with the text "Bush hid the facts" is re-opened may represent a deliberate anti-Bush political statement by Microsoft.
Email forward warns that drivers should not use cruise control in wet conditions because its use can cause the vehicle to accelerate and fly through the air if it hits standing water and hydroplanes.
Message claims that an attached photograph depicts an 11-foot long, 1000lb sturgeon caught by a group of fisherman.
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Editorial
As well as hoax-slaying, I also enjoy writing and discussing software, gadgets, cool websites and lots of other non-scam and hoax related stuff. I find that playing around with new apps or checking out interesting websites can be a welcome diversion from the sometimes quite intense work of researching and exposing scams and hoaxes.
To that end, just this week revamped my old Nibbles and Bytes" blog that I've let lie dormant since 2007. I've shouted it a new template and even given it its own domain name. I've also created a companion Nibbles and Bytes Facebook page which like the blog itself, will cover software and website reviews, Internet and computer tips, unusual stories, factoids, trivia and a dash of humour.
If you are also interested in such subjects, then you are most welcome to come over to the Facebook Page and the blog for a look. Your contributions on either will be most welcome!
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