Two versions of this email alert are circulating, one more fraudulent than the other. Overblown email flyer dating from 1995, alleging that NutraSweet causes just about every malady known to humankind. Still unsubstantiated, but 'tis better to be safe than sorry. Forwarded email incites Americans to protest high gasoline prices by skipping 3 days at the pumps. Hotmail users who do not forward this chain letter are in danger of losing their accounts.
Callous memo stipulating schedule changes after an employee's murder turns out to be a prank.
A good example of what happens when a grain of truth is fed into the rumor mill in the midst of political discord. The FDA has issued a health alert about the dangers of PPA, an ingredient commonly found in cold remedies and appetite suppressants. According to this false email alert, there's a new date rape drug that permanently sterilizes female victims. This chain letter falsely claims that sodium laureth sulfate, an ingredient found in some brand-name shampoos, is carcinogenic. It contains lye, says the email rumor, and therefore is more hazardous than regular Clorox.