Chain Letter
1.0 Definition
Chain letters are malicious letters sent in a chain from users to users. The contents of the chain letters could be of a threat or sympathy. Chain letter is considered as a big problem, as it wastes users' time and network space/disk. Chain letters always give promising good luck to those who continue the chain. Most of the file is headers from forwarded messages.
2.0 How To Detect A Chain Letter
Chain letters all have a similar element such as follows:
A Hook
A hook is to catch your interest and get you to read the rest of the letter. Hooks used to be "Make Money Fast" or "Get Rich" or similar statements related to making money for little or no work. Electronic chain letters also use the "free money" type of hooks, but have added hooks like "Danger!" and "Virus Alert" or "A Little Girl Is Dying". These tie into our fear for the survival of our computers or into our sympathy for some poor unfortunate person.
A Threat
A threat warns you about the terrible things that will happen if you do not maintain the chain. However, others play on greed or sympathy to get you to pass the letter on. The threat often contains official or technical sounding language to get you to believe it is real.
A Request
A traditional request is usually in the form of asking you to mail a dollar to the top ten names on the letter and then pass it on. The electronic request simply admonishes you to "Distribute this letter to as many people as possible." They never mention clogging the Internet or the fact that the message is a fake, they only want you to pass it on to others.
Chain letters usually do not have the name and contact information of the original sender so it is impossible to check on its authenticity. Legitimate warnings and solicitations will always have complete contact information from the person sending the message and will often be signed with a cryptographic signature, such as PGP to assure its authenticity.
3.0 Examples of Chain Letters
Example 1
You have been sent a blessing. Those who have followed the instructions on this letter have received good fortune, as you will. The rewards of this letter supercede the promises of all other letters you may have received. This is the final chain-letter you will ever send. It's instructions are simple, to receive the fortune that has graced those who have received this before you follow these steps. |
Example 2
Make nine unaltered copies of this note, and send each copy to a friend or stranger within nine days of receiving this. This completed, you will have received not only luck and positive karma, but you have been PERMANENTLY released from the obligation to send another chain -letter. |
Example 3
Never heed another chain-letter. By sending this letter you have already incurred the fortune promised by all future letters you will receive. |
4.0 What to Do if You Receive Chain Letters
If you receive a chain letter in your e-mail, delete it.
Make report to the abuse department of your ISP for further investigation. Attach the chain letter you received together with your complaint.
Do not send or circulate it to your friends and relatives because you will be clogging up the network. In addition, you lend your and your company's reputation to the message, making it appear to be authentic even when that is not the case. Hit the delete button instead and put that message where it belongs.
5.0 More Information
For more information on chain letters, pleae refer to the following sites:
5.1 http://kith.org/logos/things/chain.html
