Current Netlore: Companies and Products

Internet hoaxes, email rumors and urban legends

NOTE: You can also locate specific items by typing relevant words into the Search box at the top of any page.

See also: "Free Stuff" Chain Letters

$10 Surcharge for Pay-at-Pump Gasoline
Forwarded email claims a customer buying gasoline at a Bloomington, Minnesota gas station was charged an extra $10 for paying at the pump with a bank card.

ABC Responds to Viewer Complaint About Gays
When Jim Neugent sent an email to ABC complaining about an episode of The Practice, he got more in response than he bargained for.

Abercrombie & Fitch Catalog Sells 'Group Sex' to Teens
Forwarded email flier urges consumers to protest Abercrombie & Fitch's 2003 'A&F Quarterly' magazine, which features young adults in various stages of undress engaging in 'group sex.'

Allstate Fires Manager for Christian Beliefs on Homosexuality
Email flier from the American Family Association urges recipients to boycott Allstate Insurance Company due to the alleged firing of an employee for expressing 'Christian beliefs' against homosexuality.

Anti-Bush Clothing/Laptop Bag Label
Translated into English, the French portion of an American product label reads: 'We are sorry that our president is an idiot. We did not vote for him.'

Antiperspirants Cause Breast Cancer
This false rumor has been thoroughly trounced by medical professionals.

AOL to Charge for Instant Messages
Age-old false rumor targeting America Online members.

AP Releases 'Sports Rolodex' Phone Numbers by Mistake
Circulating via forwarded email - a long, long list of phone numbers of important sports figures accidentally distributed by the Associated Press.

Asbestos in Tampons
Toxic tampons? Two versions of this email alert are circulating, one more fraudulent than the other.

Aspartame (NutraSweet) Warning
"Rabidly inaccurate" email flyer dating from 1995, alleging that NutraSweet causes just about every malady known to humankind.

Attempted Child Abduction at Sam's Club
Three email versions are now circulating of this decades-old (and false) urban legend.

Avon E-Bear Promotion for Breast Cancer Research
Promotional email asks recipients to 'send an e-bear' to raise money for breast cancer research by visiting Avon Canada's Website.

Bankruptcies and Gift Cards
Email flier lists several companies that have supposedly filed for bankruptcy, warning that gift cards from these businesses won't be valid for much longer.

Beneful Dog Food Warning
Email flier warns that pet owners in different parts of the U.S. have reported the sudden deaths of dogs who ate Beneful Dog Food purchased at Wal-Mart in December 2006.

Best Buy 'Fraud Alert' Email Scam
An email claiming to be a "Fraud Alert" from BestBuy.com is actually a scam designed to trick people into divulging their personal information to identity thieves via bogus Websites.

Best Buy Return Policy
Forwarded email recounts a customer's nightmarish experience attempting to return merchandise and obtain a cash refund at a Best Buy store.

Bird Flu, Tamiflu and the Rumsfeld Connection
Forwarded email asserts a conspiratorial connection between the worldwide alarm over a possible avian flu pandemic and Donald Rumsfeld's financial interest in the company that patented the antiviral drug Tamiflu.

Blockbuster Coupon
Invalid "Blockbuster Night" coupon circulating via forwarded email promises free movies, popcorn, and soda through 12/31/2007.

Boycott France!
Best check the facts before tossing out your Cartier jewels and Yoplait yogurt. Not all the companies listed in the various "Boycott France" chain letters now circulating are actually French.

Boycott Middle Eastern Oil to Stop Terrorism
This reinvented "Gas Out" chain letter for 2002 claims that consumers can avoid lending support to terrorism by boycotting certain brands of gasoline.

British Airways Offers Free Flights
New version of an old email hoax claims British Airways is giving away free flights to users who forward a promotional chain letter to at least five other people.

Budweiser vs. Celebrating Arabs
Did a Budweiser employee in McFarland, California pull his product from the shelves of a convenience store where Arab employees were seen celebrating the September 11 attacks?

CDs $20 Refund (Price-Fixing Settlement)
TRUE: If you bought any CD, cassette or vinyl album between January 1, 1995 and December 22, 2000 you are eligible to file a claim and receive a refund of up to $20 due to a settlement in a price-fixing case against U.S. music distributors and retailers.

Cell Phones Cause Gas Station Explosions
Still unsubstantiated.

Cell Phone Pose Fire Hazard at Gas Pump
Bogus email repeats false allegations circulating since 1999 that cell phone (mobile phone) use near gasoline pumps while refueling can cause fires or explosions.

Cell Phones - Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do
Email flier purports to clue readers in on various "unknown" tips and tricks for cell phone use.

Cheating at Gas Pumps
Email rumor claims a consumer was cheated by a rigged gas pump while refueling at a BP service station in Cartersville, Georgia.

Check 21
Does a new law called 'Check 21' go into effect on October 28, 2004 which will make floating checks a thing of the past?

Citgo Boycott (Venezuela Dictator Vows to Bring Down U.S. Gov't)
Email flier urges Americans to boycott Venezuela-owned Citgo gas stations in response to anti-U.S. statements made by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

Citibank Email Scam
Fraudulent email designed to steal personal information sends recipients to a real Citibank Web page but launches a phony pop-up demanding "login" info. Beware!

'Click for Cans' Chunky Soup/NFL Promotion
TRUE. The Campbell's/NFL "Click for Cans" charity donation program runs yearly for a limited time.

Click to Donate Tampons to Women's Shelters
Email flier touts a Website where users can click to donate free feminine hygiene products to women's shelters around the U.S.

Cockroach Egg Tacos at Taco Bell
A fast-food horror story, as told in six different locations around the U.S.

Cocoa Mulch Can Be Lethal to Dogs and Cats
TRUE. Email warning about health hazards posed to pets - particularly dogs - by cocoa mulch is mostly accurate.

Coke, Pepsi Terrorist Warnings
In these variants of "The Grateful Terrorist," a man of "Arab descent" supposedly repays the kindness of a stranger by warning them not to drink Coke or Pepsi after a certain date.

Con Ed Reimbursements for Blackout Food Spoilage
Email flier claims electrical utility Con Edison will reimburse residential power customers in New York up to $350 for food spoilage caused by the August 14 blackout.

Confidential Business Offer
Email example of the infamous "Nigerian Scam" letter used by con artists to bilk victims of millions of dollars every year.

Costco: Suspicious Halloween Candy Purchases
Partly true but misleading: Costco and the FBI have confirmed recent large purchases of candy in New Jersey, but the FBI says it has no evidence of intended wrongdoing.

Credit Bureaus to Release Private Info
But that is nothing new. What's new is that consumers now have the ability to opt out of certain kinds of information sharing.

Credit Card Fraud Warning
Forwarded email warns of a credit scam in which con artists request the 3-digit code on the back of a credit card to "verify" it.

'Death Calls' Emit Killer Cell Phone Frequencies
Forwarded emails warn mobile phone users not to accept calls from certain numbers which supposedly transmit high-frequency signals causing brain hemorrhage and death.

Delta Airlines 'Free Flight' Chain Letter
Email hoax claims recipients will receive a free round-trip flight from Delta Airlines if they forward the message to 5 other people.

The Dillard's Thief (The Dead Cat in the Package)
After stealing someone's shopping bag in a department store parking lot, the thief gets the surprise of her life when she opens the bag and finds a dead cat inside.

Web Retailer's Rude Reply to U.S. Soldier in Iraq
Forwarded email shows rude response sent by online retailer Discount-Mats.com in answer to a product inquiry from an American soldier stationed in Iraq.

'Do Not Call' List for Cell Phone Users
Email flier warns that a directory of cell phone numbers will soon be published and urges users to enter their cell phone numbers on a federal "do not call" list to prevent unsolicited calls from telemarketers.

Dole Pre-Packaged Salad Mix Safety Warning
Email flier warns of lettuce and spinach in Dole pre-packaged salad mixes contaminated with e coli bacteria.

Don't Answer Cell Phone While Charging!
Email alert claims a young man was killed (electrocuted) when he answered a cell phone that was plugged in to charge the battery.

Don't Buy Gas on May 19th
Yet another variant of the 'Gas Out' chain letter, this one urging consumers to boycott gas stations on May 19, 2004 to 'send a message' to the oil companies.

Don't Buy Gas on September 1st
Variant of a variant of the 'Gas Out' chain letter, in this case urging consumers to boycott gas stations on September 1, 2005 to 'send a message' to the oil companies' about high gasoline prices.

Doubletree Hotel Key Cards - Identity Theft
False email rumor claims hotel key cards are routinely encoded with customers' personal information, resulting in identity theft by employees.

Dr Pepper Leaves 'Under God' out of Patriotic Promotion [Junk]
Outdated email protest declares the Dr. Pepper/Seven Up company guilty of "anti-Christian political correctness."

Ericsson 'Free Laptop' Chain Letter
Email chain letter claims phone manufacturer Ericsson will give away free laptop computers to those who forward the message to at least eight people.

Exxon/Mobil Gasoline Boycott (2004)
2004 variant of a chain letter campaign to boycott gasoline from Exxon Mobil (circulating since 2000).

'Facebook Is Overpopulated' Chain Letter
Chain letter circulating among Facebook members claims the service is becoming too slow due to overpopulation and members must prove they are "active" by forwarding the message to others.

Febreze Warning
An email warning in circulation since January warns that the fabric deodorizer Febreze is toxic to pets.

Fly-Equipped Urinal
Emailed image shows a restroom urinal in Amsterdam's Schipol Airport with a fly etched in the porcelain to improve users' aim and reduce "spillage."

Free 411 Calls
Email flier touts a new free 411 directory assistance service underwritten by advertisers.

Free Beer!
Just visit this Website and fill out an online form to win a free promotional case of beer from Anheuser-Busch or Miller Brewing Co. (depending on which version of this prank message you receive).

Free Shrimp from Long John Silver's!
TRUE: As promised, participating Long John Silver's restaurants in the U.S.A. will offer free shrimp (one per customer) on May 10, 2004 in honor of NASA's discovery of proof that there was once an ocean on the planet Mars.

French's Mustard: Statement About France
This statement, allegedly from the manufacturer of French's Mustard, claims the product is not French and has nothing in common with the country of France - except being yellow.

Frog Found in Can of Kroger Peas
Irate consumer complains in forwarded email about finding a tiny dead frog inside a can of Kroger peas. True, with photo documentation!

Frog Found in Packaged Salad
Emailed image purportedly shows a live frog found in a bag of Florette brand packaged salad mix.

'Gas Out' 2000
Forwarded email incites Americans to protest high gasoline prices by skipping 3 days at the pumps.

Gel Candles Pose Fire Hazard
OVERBLOWN: Consumers report that gel candles have caused fires and serious burns. Please note, however, that this is true of all candles.

GeoCities Is Closing Down!
Yahoo plans on deleting all GeoCities Websites without notice - or so the email rumor goes.

Gerber Savings Bond Giveaway
Fax and email alerts falsely claim that Gerber Products Co. lost a class action suit and now must pay out restitution to millions of American children.

Glade Plug-In Air Fresheners a Fire Hazard
Email flier alleges that plastic plug-in air fresheners pose a serious fire hazard.

'Guinness Book of Records' Chain Letter
Just forward this message and get your name listed in Guinness - along with a million or so other folks.

Hand Sanitizer Hazardous to Children
Forwarded email cites danger of children licking or eating hand sanitizer, which contains a high percentage of alcohol and can cause accidental intoxication or alcohol poisoning.

Heroin Needle Kills Child in McDonald's Ball Pit
The "Kevin Archer" story, curiously similar to 1998's tall tale about snakes in a Burger King ball pit.

Hershey Boycott
Email fliers urge boycott of Hershey Co., which has lately announced worker layoffs in U.S. plants while outsourcing jobs to new facilities in Mexico.

Hotmail 'My Account Is Active' Hoax
Just a new version of 1999's "Hotmail Overload" hoax, in technicolor.

Hotmail Overload
Hotmail users who do not forward this chain letter are in danger of losing their accounts.

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