Because they came across on Email that's why. Hoaxes have been around a long time Hoaxes, chain letters and urban myths have been around for a long long time, but Email imbues them with a certain amount of credibility and with the internet they spread faster than a bad rash.
Email hoaxes are rampant Even sophisticated users get caught up in the hoaxes.
The are usually pretty hokey and easy to spot but that doesn't stop computer-savvy people from being fooled. In fact, Email hoaxes are so rampant that the U.S. Department of Energy's Computer Incident Advisory Capability has complained that it can't do its intended job-track dangerous computer viruses. Maybe it's the nature of the beast, but computer virus warnings lead the list of Email hoaxes says the CIAC . Some have been around so long that they are again making the rounds after a long hiatus-sort of like Tuberculosis. It's the same illness only more resistant.