Only the original writer will know the true reason. Or to milk money out of people using a pyramid scheme, or perhaps to make money by sending their stocks up, as in the case of the Bloomberg scenario. Hoax messages try to get you to pass them on to everyone you know using several different methods of social engineering. Most hoaxes play on your need to help people. They rely on our sympathetic response and desire to protect those you love.
Fear is another emotion cyber scammers are fond of tapping into.
Be careful not to flash your lights at another car without its lights on. You could be the next victim of a horrific gang initiation ritual. The people most at risk from these unscrupulous attention seekers are the novice Internet users and the everyday man on the street who wants to buy online, or invest online, and is totally unaware of the scams and hoaxes around the virtual corner. There are some excellent websites out there in cyberspace dedicated to spurning the efforts of these scam-mongers. I also found a worthwhile list of all known email hoaxes on About, The Human Internet .