Friends don't let friends get hoaxed

It amazes me that people who are perfectly intelligent in many ways continue to get duped by Internet hoaxes. Hasn't this been going on long enough?

I'm thinking about this because there's yet another hoary old tale in my inbox, this one about a car-jacking method. It claims car jackers are posting flyers on the back window of cars in parking lots. The hope here is that the unwary driver will get out and leave the car running to remove the flier. At that point, the car jacker will leap out from nowhere, hop in the car and drive off. No fuss, no muss, right? Sure, except that the item has a four-year history with Snopes.com, which exposed it as a hoax.

Early on, even some police officers forwarded this on, thinking it might be legit. Having their names and those of their law enforcement agencies attached to the thread certainly did their reputations no favors when the truth came out.

"I wish I'd never sent it," said one police lieutenant who forwarded the message.

Unfortunately, I think this points to a lack of analytical thinking. It's much easier to accept something at face value than it is to reflect and think before deciding something is legitimate. I can also say that I've never gotten a hoax e-mail forward from anyone under the age of 30 (I'm 34 as I'm writing this, by the way). I think younger people have a very strong understanding that the Internet is an incubator for tall tales, exaggerations, hoaxes and rumors. I think their elders, though, believe something if it comes from someone they trust. A good friend wouldn't send them a bogus e-mail, right? And what if it's true, and someone they know is victimized when they could've helped prevent it?

But here's the thing: There are genuine risks to our security out there. Giving even just a bit of credence toward rumors and hoaxes can take your eye off those very real risks. Lock your doors. Be aware of what's around you at all times. Don't leave merchandise of any sort (especially laptop computers) visible in your car. Those are real building blocks to staying safe.

As for the next time an e-mail comes into your box telling you to forward it to everyone on your distribution list, think before you hit "FORWARD." Maybe even do a Google search for the scenario. Visit Snopes.com or another urban legend Web site to verify the claim. If the forward insists that police say it's true, see if it identifies the agency or just gives the generic "police say this true" claim.

My general policy when I get a hoax forward is to reply to the sender and provide links to real information. I usually see a marked reduction from that sender.