Tugging at your heart strings… and purse strings.

A while back, I’m certain I blogged about how many man-hours and how much money (not to mention mental agony) goes down the drain annually, without anyone actually coughing up $$$, cents, pennies or yens!

Chain mail, hoaxes, urban legends and virus alerts forwarded by friends, family, colleagues and even strangers perhaps constitute the bulk of emails that are forwarded among email users. Not to be construed as “spam” which, by now, most email users may have learned to delete with a single click on the keyboard, these much dreaded “forwards” attempt to tug at our most basic emotions… fear, love, compassion, rage, sorrow, sympathy… especially since these emails are sent from within our personal circles. For a long time now, I seem to have acquired a keen sense of smell especially when the subject header of the “forwarded email” attempts to reach out for my wallet by first numbing my wits!

For those who wish to sharpen their sense of smell, when it comes to recognizing email hoaxes, follow your instincts, or follow these links… Urban  Legends, Snopes… there are others, but you may want to research those for your own comfort, peace of mind, satisfaction… or who knows, as your ‘discovery’ – something ‘new’ to “forward” and mass mail!

To illustrate my point, here’s a chain mail I received just this morning. Due to another lapse in email etiquette, I also know this email was forwarded to tens of people by a single individual. It is about the “dying Amirtha“. Check the fact on chain mails “sent” by Make-a-Wish Foundation.

In this matter, we all must learn to be more discerning, ’cause there are folks out there, laughing all the way to their bank (figuratively speaking) … at your expense, and mine.

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