by Ted Sherman

Created on: March 24, 2007   Last Updated: May 15, 2007

Nothing makes me madder than receiving an email chain letter. They are always scams, but worse, they are designed to frighten people into passing them along. Whenever I get one, I immediately send the sender an email ... on a separate blank ... with an angry admonition not to do it again.

As a matter of practice, I also never open an email that begins with FW: because it is always something the sender forwarded to me unchanged directly from the original source. True or not, I believe the rumors that an FW: message could bring a virus or other damaging elements to your computer. Anyhow, I don't like the idea that the sender feels I should see this ad, phony virus warning or other useless message without first consulting me.

After my first refusal to open an FW: message sent to me, I send a separate email to the source demanding that no more are to be sent to me, and that I will never open them. I add that if the sender feels the content will be of interest to me, it should be edited and the information sent as an original email. This angers some people enough to stop sending me any emails at all. In most cases, this is a good thing.

Learn more about this author, Ted Sherman.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.