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Chain Letter: 'My name is Jasmine...'
Netlore Archive
Description:  Email hoax
Status:  False
Circulating since:  June 2002
Analysis:  See below
 

Email text contributed by J. Tidrick, 06/07/02:

Subject: FW: Fwd please!!

Hi, I'm sorry about this fwd.
My name is Jasmine .
I'm 11 years old.
My mommy worked on the 20th floor
in the World Trade Tower.
On Sept. 11 2001 my daddy drove my mom to work.
She was running late so she left her purse in the car.
My daddy seen it so he parked the car and went
to give her the purse.
That day after school my daddy didn't come to pick me up.
Instead a police man came and took me to foster care .
Finally I found out why my daddy never came..
I really loved him....
They never found his body..
My mom is in the the Hospital since then..
She is losing lots of blood..
She needs to go through surgery..
But since my daddy is gone and no one is working..
We have no money ..
And her surgery cost lots of money..
So the Red Cross said that..
for every time this email is fwd we
Will get 10 cent for my mom's surgery.
So please have a heart and fwd this to everyone you know
I really miss my daddy
and now I don't want to lose my mommy too..

R.I.P. Daddy..(James Thomas

!--! NOTICE!--!
WHEN YOU FWD PLEASE ALSO FWD TO THIS LETTER BACK TO ME... AT.... jasNmom2001@yahoo.com ...SO THAT THE REDCROSS PEOPLE CAN COUNT THE FWDS.
thank you for taking your time to fwd this email
this really means alot me and my future..

  love,

  Jasmine


Comments:  Don't be fooled by this cynical hoax. Charitable organizations such as the Red Cross do not use chain letters to distribute disaster relief. Mail sent to the above address, jasNmom2001@yahoo.com, bounces back with the following error message: "Possible forgery or deactivated due to abuse."

Though the 9/11 spin is new, the basic premise of the hoax — "Organization X will donate Y cents to Victim Z every time this message is forwarded" — dates back to 1997, when it first appeared in the Jessica Mydek chain letter. A plethora of variants have appeared over the past five years, all relying on the same bag of psychological tricks (i.e., emotional manipulation) to persuade recipients to forwarding them on.

Last updated: 07/09/02


Further reading:

Charity Hoaxes Tug Cynically at Heart Strings
What do Rachel Arlington, Jessica Mydek, Amy Bruce and Timothy Flyte have in common?

Netlore: Terrorism Rumors & Hoaxes
The aftermath of 9/11

Netlore: Sick, Dying & Missing Children
Alphabetical listing of rumors and hoaxes


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