The chained letter is a message that tries to convince the recipient to make multiple copies of the letter and then pass it on to certain recipients (either pre-determined or as many as possible). The "chain" is actually an exponentially growing pyramid (tree graph) that can not be sustained indefinitely. Common methods used in chain letters include emotional manipulative stories, fast-pyramid-rich schemes, and superstitious exploits to threaten the recipient with bad luck or even physical violence or death if he "breaks the chain" and refuses to comply for the terms set out in the letter. Initially, chain letters are letters received by mail. Today, chain letters are often sent via email messages, posts on social networking sites, and text messages.
There are two main typeface letters:
- Hoaxes - Hoax attempts to deceive or deceive users. Lies can be dangerous, instructing the user to delete the necessary files to the operating system by claiming it is a virus. It could also be a scam that convinces users to send money or personal information. Phishing attacks can fall into this.
- Urban legend - Urban legends are designed to be redistributed and usually warn users of threats or claims to notify them of important or urgent information. Another common form is emails that promise money rewards to users for forwarding messages or suggesting that they sign something to be delivered to a particular group. Urban legends usually have no negative effects other than wasted time.
In the United States, chain letters requesting money or other valuable items and promising substantial returns to participants (such as the famous Make Money Fast scheme) are illegal.
Several universities and military bases have issued regulations stating that in private letters of students and military personnel, respectively, chain letters are not official and will be discarded. However, it is often difficult to distinguish the chain letters from the original correspondence.
Video Chain letter
Saluran
Cetak
The best known channels for chain letters are written, or printed, on the letter on paper. It may be exchanged from hand to hand or distributed by mail. One of the earliest known examples is the "Prosperity Club" or "Send-a-Dime" letter. This letter began in Denver, Colorado in 1935, based on previous letters. Soon flooded the Denver post office with hundreds of thousands of letters before falling to St. Louis and other cities.
Chain letters take a religious perspective especially with regard to Christianity. Often these letters come from the center of the photocopy, claiming to be from the Pope, in order to persuade people to make copies of the letters. Content usually gives one or two examples of people, sometimes obedient and respected public figures and other disobedient and suffering people, who may even include the case of death and someone become an overnight millionaire. Such letters will evolve over a few days and will die naturally, partly based on the economic realities of society, and many may even reason that if they are genuine, they can not contain the case of the damaged. or continue the chain.
Some email messages sent as chain letters may appear harmless, for example, a grammar school student who wants to see how many people can receive his email for a science project, but it can grow exponentially and be difficult to stop. Messages sometimes include fraudulent promises from rich companies or individuals (like Bill Gates) promising prize money to everyone who receives the message. They may also be politically motivated, such as "Save Spies, forward this to as many friends as possible" or a concept that popular TV or radio shows can be fired from the air. Some, such as the "Hawaii Good Luck Totem" that has been spreading in thousands of forms, threaten users with bad luck if they are not forwarded. There are many forms of chain emails that threaten the death or the taking of a person's soul by telling the story of another person's death, such as Katu Lata Kulu's chain email, stating that if not forwarded, the recipient of the message will be killed by the spirit.
Platforms like Facebook and YouTube can host chain letters that play with user emotions. They may also be in the form of warnings, such as stories of escaped convicts and others that encourage readers to forward messages. A chain letter distributed on MSN Hotmail begins, "Hi Tara and John MSN director"... and notifies you that your account will be deleted if you do not send that message to everyone.
Another common form of email chain letters is the hoax of viruses and cyberbullying forms.
The web community
Chain letters in social media platforms are becoming widespread on Myspace (in the form of Myspace bulletins) and YouTube (in the form of video comments) as well as on Facebook via messages or apps. For example, Carmen Winstead's mail/mail chain, supposedly about a girl from Indiana being pushed into a sewer at a firedrill, stated that, "if you do not resend/send this to 10 people, Carmen will find you and kill you." Chain letters are often combined with intimidating hoaxes or promises to provide "confidential" information to the sender after they forward the message.
Maps Chain letter
Legality
A chain letter may qualify as a fraudulent activity, as in the case of a pyramid scheme that asks the recipient to channel money to the chain while requesting the mail to be distributed to several new recipients.
The legality of chain letters is questionable when they try to channel monetary value to one recipient. When a chain letter indicates an opportunity or lottery game with an opportunity for financial gain, it is considered cheating under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1302, Lottery Pos Statute. Chain letters that ask for small items such as business cards or recipes are not included in this law.
If a chain mail pyramid device is sent by email, it may be a wire fraud. Email chain mail may contain trojans or other types of computer viruses covered by the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) [18 U.S.C. Section 1030]. This law makes it illegal to distribute computer code or place it in a trading flow if the purpose is to cause economic damage or loss.
See also
- Free Internet
- Jessica Mydek's deceptive letters
- Letters and wire fraud
- Make money quickly
- Mon cher Mustapha letter - chain letter used as a form of black propaganda
- Multi-level marketing
- Spam
- Virus hoax
Similar distribution
- Faxlore - distribution of chain letters or similar materials by fax machine
References
Bibliography
- And Squier. The Truth About Chain Letters , 1990, Premier Publisher, ISBN 0-915665-21-2
- Athena Dean. All Glitters That Are Not Gold: Breaking Free From MLM Sweet Fraud , 1998, Winepress Publishing, ISBNÃ, 1-57921-134-8
- James Walsh. You Can not Be Deceiving Honest Men: How Ponzi & amp; Job Pyramid Frauds , Merritt Publishing, ISBNÃ, 1-56343-169-6
- Gary Tartaglia. Crushed Dreams: How to Avoid Cost Failure in Multi-Level Marketing , 1985, Targeted Communications, ISBN 0-9614404-0-6
- Stephen Butterfield. Amway: The Cult of Free Enterprise , 1985, South End Press, ISBN 0-89608-253-9
- John Scarne. Full Guide for Gambling, Complete Edition, Updated, Expanded, Updated . Fireside, 1986, ISBN 0-671-63063-6
External links
- Discussion on history and different types of chain letters (from Snopes.com)
- Sample mail "Send-a-dime"
- Disconnect chain
- Letter Series in Curlie (based on DMOZ)
- Chain Letter Evolution, Daniel W. VanArsdale. Historical analysis, including the actual mail archive.
- Pay Thinking Ahead
- What's wrong with the chain letters?
Source of the article : Wikipedia