Hoaxes (Français & English)
Description Les quatre types de hoaxes / Four typical hoaxes Liens / links Parodies / Spoofs
Description
Les quatre types de hoaxes / Four typical hoaxes
Liens / links
Parodies / Spoofs
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Avec de nouveaux internautes chaque jour, le problème des lettres en chaine s'aggrave. Voici donc ce que j'espère être le dernier "message à faire suivre"...
Le "spamming" est une maladie d'internet qui consiste à encombrer le plus grand nombre possible d'ordinateurs en envoyant de très nombreux emails. Une astuce pour cela consiste à envoyer à quelques personnes un email bien rédigé qui l'incite à le renvoyer immediatement à "tous ses amis". Les amis font de même et très rapidement des MILLIONS de personnes sont touchées. Cette astuce se combine en général à ce qu'on appelle des "hoax", c'est a dire de fausses rumeurs, des légendes urbaines.
Ces messages sont des faux, des canulars, des pièges à gogo, répertoriés en general sur des sites web specialises (voir liens en bas de cette page). Il serait bon, à partir de maintenant, de détecter ce genre de message-en-chaine, de les identifier (dans 99.99% des cas) comme étant des supercheries, DE NE PAS LES FORWARDER, et simplement de les détruire. Depuis le temps que ces emails existent, chacun de nous devrait être capable d'immediatement flairer l'arnaque et d'agir en consequence...
With new internet users everyday, the chain letters problem becomes crucial. Here is, then, what I hope to be the last "message to be forwarded"...
"Spamming" is an internet disease which consists in clogging as many computers as possible by sending a big number of emails. The trick is to send a well written message to some people, inciting them to forward it immediately to "all their friends". Those friends do the same and very quickly, millions of people are invaded. This trick is usually combined to "hoaxes", or fake rumours, or urban legends.
These messages are fakes, traps, myths, usually referenced on specialised web sites (see the links at the bottom of this page). It would be a good idea, from now on, to detect these chain letters, to identify them (99.99% of the time) as rip-offs, NOT TO FORWARD THEM, and to simply destroy them. It's been a long time now that these emails are around and every one of us should be able to catch the spoof and to act consequently...
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Les quatre types de hoaxes / Four Typical hoaxes:
1) Fausse alerte virus / Fake virus alert 2) Messages en chaîne / Chain letters 3) Fausses facons de devenir millionaire / Fake ways to become a millionaire 4) Fausses pétitions / Fake petitions
1) Fausse alerte virus / Fake virus alert
2) Messages en chaîne / Chain letters
3) Fausses facons de devenir millionaire / Fake ways to become a millionaire
4) Fausses pétitions / Fake petitions
Egalement: fausses alertes medicales, messages en chaine porte bonheur...
Beware also of fake medical alerts, good-luck chain letters...
1) La fausse alerte virus, ou messages de mise en garde contre de pretendus nouveaux virus informatiques. Phrases typiques: "ce message est serieux, l'alerte vient directement de IBM (ou Intel, Microsoft...)" et "a transmettre immediatement a tous vos amis" . Verifiez si cette alerte est serieuse sur les sites specialises* avant de faire suivre ce message ou alors faites le suivre a votre ingenieur systeme qui vous dira ce qu'il en est, mais PAS "a tous vos amis".
Fake virus alert against allegedly new computer viruses. Typical sentences: "This message is serious, it comes from IBM (or Intel, or Microsoft...)" and "forward it immediately to all your friends". Check if this alert is serious on the designated websites*, or forward it to your system manager, but NOT to "all your friends".
This is a warning for all internet users - there is a dangerous virus propogating across the internet through an e-mail message entitled "PENPAL GREETINGS!". DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANY MESSAGE ENTITLED "PENPAL GREETINGS!" This message appears to be a friendly letter asking you if you are interestedin a penpal, but by the time you read this letter, it is too late. The "trojan horse" virus will have already infected the boot sector of your hard drive, destroying all of the data present. It is a self-replicating virus, and once the message is read, it will AUTOMATICALLY forward itself to anyone who's e-mail address is present in YOUR mailbox! This virus will DESTROY your hard drive, and holds the potential to DESTROY the hard drive of anyone whose mail is in your inbox, and who's mail is in their inbox, and so on. If this virus remains unchecked, it has the potential to do a great deal of DAMAGE to computer networks worldwide!!!! Please, delete the message entitled "PENPAL GREETINGS!" as soon as you see it! And pass this message along to all of your friends and relatives, and the other readers of the newsgroups and mailing lists which you are on, so that they are not hurt by this dangerous virus!!!!
2) Les messages en chaine canulars pour, par exemple, aider des enfants malades. Bien sur, on est invite a ne pas rompre la chaine.
Chain letters spoofs to help, for example, sick children. Of course, one is invited not to break the chain.
LITTLE JESSICA MYDEK IS SEVEN YEARS OLD AND IS SUFFERING FROM AN ACUTE AND VERY RARE CASE OF CEREBRAL CARCINOMA. THIS CONDITION CAUSES SEVERE MALIGNANT BRAIN TUMORS AND IS A TERMINAL ILLNESS. THE DOCTORS HAVE GIVEN HER SIX MONTHS TO LIVE. AS PART OF HER DYING WISH, SHE WANTED TO START A CHAIN LETTER TO INFORM PEOPLE OF THIS CONDITION AND TO SEND PEOPLE THE MESSAGE TO LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST AND ENJOY EVERY MOMENT, A CHANCE THAT SHE WILL NEVER HAVE. FURTHERMORE, THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY AND SEVERAL CORPORATE SPONSORS HAVE AGREED TO DONATE THREE CENTS TOWARD CONTINUING CANCER RESEARCH FOR EVERY NEW PERSON THAT GETS FORWARDED THIS MESSAGE. PLEASE GIVE JESSICA AND ALL CANCER VICTIMS A CHANCE. IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS, SEND THEM TO THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY AT ACS@AOL.COM
3) Les fausses facons de devenir millionaire... a condition bien sur de les faire suivre au plus grand nombre possible
Fake ways to become a millionaire... if you forward this message to as many people as possible
Netscape and AOL have recently merged to form the largest internet company in the world. In an effort to remain at pace with this giant, Microsoft has introduced a new email tracking system as a way to keep Internet Explorer as the most popular browser on the market. This email is a beta test of the new software and Microsoft has generously offered to compensate those who participate in the testing process. For each person you send this email to, you will be given $5. For every person they give it to, you will be given an additional $3. For every person they send it to you will receive $1. Microsoft will tally all the emails produced under your name over a two week period and then email you with more instructions. This beta test is only for Microsoft Windows users because the email tracking device that contacts Microsoft is embedded into the code of Windows 95 and 98. I know you guys hate forwards. But I started this a month ago because I was very short on cash. A week ago I got an email from Microsoft asking me for my address. I gave it to them and yesterday I got a check in the mail for $800. It really works. I wanted you to get a piece of the action. You won't regret it.
3) Les fausses pétitions... ( un exemple )
Le cas des pétitions est un peu particulier car elles proviennent peut-être d'une bonne intention initiale. Mais il existe des sites web ou l'on peut ajouter sa signature sans générer des millions de mails qui envahissent nos boites aux lettres. Par exemple: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/ Voici les principales raisons qui font qu'il est inutile de faire suivre ces pétitions: - Souvent l'adresse à laquelle on est censé faire suivre le texte et la liste de signatures n'existe PAS. Quelquefois elle existe au début de la pétition puis se retrouve fermée pour cause de saturation. - Souvent, en plus d'un destinataire lambda, on demande de "faire suivre au plus grand nombre", comme un vulgaire hoax. - Quelquefois, en plus, on demande de faire suivre à une adresse qui, elle, est bien réelle et qui est en fait destinée à recueillir vos coordonnées pour de prochains "spams". - Souvent ces textes ne sont pas signés par un rédacteur ou une organisation qui pourrait, si la petition était sérieuse, la cautioner et se tenir au courant de l'avancement de son initiative. - N'importe qui peut ajouter n'importe quel nom, y compris les plus farfelus, pour ridiculiser la démarche - Plus grave encore, n'importe qui peut modifier le texte que des gens ont déja signé, leur faisant signer A POSTERIORI un texte qu'il n'auraient pas signé en connaissance de cause. - Enfin, il faut être naïf pour croire qu'un destinataire, s'il en était capable, va prendre la peine de recueillir ces milliers (millions parfois) d'emails et d'éliminer les milliers de doubles pour transmettre la liste finale à la personne concernée... Néanmoins, si le texte de la pétition est beau, prenez le comme un tract, lisez le, faites le suivre si vous voulez à des gens que vous savez potentiellement interessés. Mais sans les mentions "faire suivre au plus grand nombre", sans les signatures et sans les adresses email bidon des destinataires...
Le cas des pétitions est un peu particulier car elles proviennent peut-être d'une bonne intention initiale. Mais il existe des sites web ou l'on peut ajouter sa signature sans générer des millions de mails qui envahissent nos boites aux lettres. Par exemple: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/
Voici les principales raisons qui font qu'il est inutile de faire suivre ces pétitions:
- Souvent l'adresse à laquelle on est censé faire suivre le texte et la liste de signatures n'existe PAS. Quelquefois elle existe au début de la pétition puis se retrouve fermée pour cause de saturation.
- Souvent, en plus d'un destinataire lambda, on demande de "faire suivre au plus grand nombre", comme un vulgaire hoax.
- Quelquefois, en plus, on demande de faire suivre à une adresse qui, elle, est bien réelle et qui est en fait destinée à recueillir vos coordonnées pour de prochains "spams".
- Souvent ces textes ne sont pas signés par un rédacteur ou une organisation qui pourrait, si la petition était sérieuse, la cautioner et se tenir au courant de l'avancement de son initiative.
- N'importe qui peut ajouter n'importe quel nom, y compris les plus farfelus, pour ridiculiser la démarche
- Plus grave encore, n'importe qui peut modifier le texte que des gens ont déja signé, leur faisant signer A POSTERIORI un texte qu'il n'auraient pas signé en connaissance de cause.
- Enfin, il faut être naïf pour croire qu'un destinataire, s'il en était capable, va prendre la peine de recueillir ces milliers (millions parfois) d'emails et d'éliminer les milliers de doubles pour transmettre la liste finale à la personne concernée...
Néanmoins, si le texte de la pétition est beau, prenez le comme un tract, lisez le, faites le suivre si vous voulez à des gens que vous savez potentiellement interessés. Mais sans les mentions "faire suivre au plus grand nombre", sans les signatures et sans les adresses email bidon des destinataires...
Fake petitions...
Petitions is a special case because it can come from a sincere initial intention. But there are web sites where one can add his/her signature without generating millions of emails clogging our mailboxes. For exemple: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/ Here are the main reasons for not forwarding those petitions: - Often, the address you are supposed to send the text and list of signatures to does NOT exist. Sometimes it did exist but it got closed because it was saturated. - Often, it is also asked that you "forward it immediately to all your friends", like any other hoax. - Sometimes, it is also asked to forward the list of signatures to another address, real this time, but only aimed to gather email addresses for future spams. - Often, these texts are not even signed by a person or an organization which would, if the petition was serious, caution the action and follow up on what becomes of it. - Anybody can add any name, including funny ones who would ridiculise the whole initiative - Worse, anybody can change the text AFTER you have already signed it, making you approve a text that you might have not approved in the first place. - It is naive to believe that someone will be able to, and will take the time to gather all those lists with thousands (sometimes millions) of names, cut out all the names appearing hundreds of times and forward the remaining list to the blamed person... Now, if you like the text, you are free to forward it to people you know might be interested. But remove the mention "forward it immediately to all your friends", remove the signatures and remove the fake email addresses you are supposed to send it to...
Petitions is a special case because it can come from a sincere initial intention. But there are web sites where one can add his/her signature without generating millions of emails clogging our mailboxes. For exemple: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/
Here are the main reasons for not forwarding those petitions:
- Often, the address you are supposed to send the text and list of signatures to does NOT exist. Sometimes it did exist but it got closed because it was saturated.
- Often, it is also asked that you "forward it immediately to all your friends", like any other hoax.
- Sometimes, it is also asked to forward the list of signatures to another address, real this time, but only aimed to gather email addresses for future spams.
- Often, these texts are not even signed by a person or an organization which would, if the petition was serious, caution the action and follow up on what becomes of it.
- Anybody can add any name, including funny ones who would ridiculise the whole initiative
- Worse, anybody can change the text AFTER you have already signed it, making you approve a text that you might have not approved in the first place.
- It is naive to believe that someone will be able to, and will take the time to gather all those lists with thousands (sometimes millions) of names, cut out all the names appearing hundreds of times and forward the remaining list to the blamed person...
Now, if you like the text, you are free to forward it to people you know might be interested. But remove the mention "forward it immediately to all your friends", remove the signatures and remove the fake email addresses you are supposed to send it to...
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Liens / Links
* Sites web specialises / Specialised web sites :