CAUTION: How to know if an email forward is legit or not. |
Yesterday, someone sent me (and a bunch of others) an email saying that cell phone numbers were going public and they had to call some number to make sure they were added to a do not call list. I got another email from someone else that said that there is a state wide speeding ticket blitz and to be careful. That same email was flowing around the office twice today and both times I had to tell them it’s false. Here are the emails:
Subject: Fw: Cell phone #s going public
Cell phone numbers going public tomorrow
REMINDER….all cell phone numbers are being released to …YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222. It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS. It take about 20 seconds. |
Subject: Speeding ticket Blitz
Starting today, Pennsylvania will launch a 30 day speeding ticket frenzy. The state estimates that 9 million dollars will be generated in speeding tickets. 1 million will go to pay state troopers’ overtime. There will be 50 state troopers on duty at all times patrolling the 9 main intersections and highways. They are the following: I-279 north and south 5 mph above the limit can justify a ticket and every state trooper is supposed to pull a car over and write a ticket every 10 to 20 minutes. They have issued 30 brand new unmarked Dodge Charger Police cruisers and are bringing in all of their part timers on full time. If you work in western Pennsylvania, you will probably take one of these highways. It’s up to you how fast you are going when they clock you. KDKA and WDVE confirmed all of this. So be safe and don’t forget speeding tickets are on you. Driving Ticket fine increase in PA: Starting on August 15th, the price of a ticket for violation of PA Law 39:3-29 (failure to show your driver’s license, registration, or insurance card at the time you are stopped) is going from $44.00 to $173.00. Please make sure your vehicles have the proper documents in them. If you jump in the car to run to the store and forget your wallet with your license in it and you are stopped…. Oh well… you just spent $173. And the fine for not having all three documents is $519!!! Forward to people in Western PA, and let them know of this change! |
and the two links on snopes that say they’re false:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/cell411.asp
http://www.snopes.com/politics/traffic/speeding.asp
So basically, if you are going to forward me something, CHECK YOUR SOURCES. If you don’t have any, CHECK SNOPES. This is textbook chain letter crap we’ve been dealing with since 1996. When in doubt, snopes.
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