Debbie Shwartz Chain Letter
Netlore Archive: Email plea from a troubled woman calling herself 'Debbie Shwartz' claims AOL will donate 15 cents on her behalf for every 12 times the message is forwarded
Description: Email hoax
Circulating since: July 2003
Status: False
Analysis: See below
Email example contributed by E. Crowell, 17 July 2003:
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Dear Reader I am a single mother of four kids: ages five, three and a half, 17 month, and two week old baby girl. God has blessed me with three beautiful, healthy children. Untill recently things were going great for us, even though we struggled financially at times (my part-time job was not enough to support us). Then, the tragedy struck on January 13th. My oldest, Matt, got hit by a car while playing outside. ( The driver never got fined - it was a hit and run). After agonizingly long weeks of hospitalization, we did not think he would live but thank godness is he alive right now ... but barely. He is still in the hospital in the comatose condition. Doctors say he will be a vegetable for the rest of his live, for as long as he lives and even if he does come out of the coma - his brain is too damaged for him to lead a normal life. My insurance coverage run out and I can't afford hospital bills. Right now I owe a hospital over 500,000 dollars so far. Shortly, after the accident has happened, my 87 year old grandmother, with whom I was really close (she raised me as a child), suffered a stroke and could not live on her own anymore. I took her in. All that happened while I was pregnant with Carissa. Because of all this severe stress that I've been through, Carissa was not only a premie but was born with Down's syndrome as well as chronic colitis. She is also missing fingernails on her right hand. She is in the hospital as well because she needs to be monitored 24/7. Right now I am at the lowest point of my life: I don't have a job - taking care of three sick family members that are so dear to me is a full time job - I can't afford to pay for my tiny appartment, my car got taken away because no payment, not to mention the debt with a hospital! I know you are not obligated to do anything: you are free to delete this email without giving it a second thought, but please listen to the cry from mothers heart! We had worked out a deal with AOL where for every 12 forwards I will get 15 cents. Please, don't harden your heart, send this email to everyone on your list. This is crucial for our survival!! God bless you all! Sincerely, Debbie Shwartz |
Comments: False. This is the summer 2003 version of a 1997-vintage email hoax that originally circulated in the name of a "dying child" named Jessica Mydek. There are countless variants and copycats, all of them equally bogus.
Rule of thumb: ANY chain letter claiming that a corporation or charitable organization will donate money to some good cause based on how many times the message is forwarded is a hoax. Such schemes cannot work, nor do any reputable companies participate in them. Forwarding these messages is complete waste of time and bandwidth.
See also: Rachel Arlington chain letter, Slow Dance, etc.
Last updated: 08/16/03
