Eastern Oregon Net, Inc.
The Internet Done Right

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Internet Hoaxes

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INTERNET HOAXES AND URBAN MYTHS
DEFINITION: Internet hoaxes usually are misinformation or disinformation about the Internet or computing. They are not generally destructive in themselves, but may waste time and bandwidth, and could actually lead the gullible victim to commit some destructive act on his own. Hoaxes are usually precipitated and perpetuated through email, often in the form of email chain letters.
BASIC CAUTIONS

Be suspicious of ANY email, whether it has come to you from a stranger or a friend, that asks you to forward on multiple copies.

Be particularly cautious when dealing with any advice that instructs you to delete certain files from your computer, or take other actions that could be potentially destructive.

Before acting on a possible hoax, visit a site like HoaxBusters, Sophos or your antivirus software publisher's Web site to search for information on the subject.

You might also want to visit sites like UrbanLegends.About.com or Snopes.com to track down urban myths.

And you can always enter some key terms from a suspected hoax into Google or other search engine.

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