Which one of the following describes what you should do if you receive a chain letter email?

Have you ever received an e-mail saying that Bill Gates is sharing his fortune, and all you have to do to receive part of it is to forward the e-mail to as many friends as you can?

You may find it hard to believe, but this e-mail and variants of it have actually been sent out on several occasions, and people have fallen for them. And this is just one example of what internet security specialists call “chain letters”.

Chain letters are messages sent to a huge number of people, asking each recipient to forward them to as many other people as they can. While some of them can be amusing or sent for fun by the original sender, others may carry hidden threats to your internet security – viruses, phishing attempts etc. In any case, the letters are so well written that they actually look authentic and convince you to take the action suggested. Without antivirus protection you can only imagine what can happen to your computer and personal data.

But chain letters are no longer being sent via e-mail only. With the rise of social media, and the increasing number of mobile users, cybercrooks have turned their attention to these means of communication also, thanks to their wider span, their buzz-creating potential, and thus, capacity to generate more victims. So, nowadays, a chain letter may take the form of an e-mail, an instant message, a posting on a friend’s social network profile or a text message. If you learn how to recognize them and what threats they pose, you can go a long way in protecting your internet security, both at home or while mobile.

What does a chain letter look like?

There are various types of chain letters circulating all over web, but they can be divided in five categories depending on the manipulation method they use, to make you do what they ask you to.  Because they leverage human emotions, you may easily fall for such internet security scams and have your friends exposed to them too.

5 internet security threats and privacy threats posed by chain letters

How to avoid these internet security threats and keep yourself, your kids and your friends safe

  • Which one of the following describes what you should do if you receive a chain letter email?
    The first pointer that it’s a chain letter you are receiving – either from a respected institution or from a friend – is the number of recipients and the request to send the letter to more people. If you receive such a letter, delete it or ignore it.
  • Do not fall for great news from wealthy people or big companies that are spreading via e-mail or social networks only. If the news were really true, the entire media, including newspapers, TV, radio etc. would be buzzing with official statements.
  • Don’t take letters exploiting superstitions and dark urban legends seriously. Talk to your kids about them and make them feel safe.
  • Don’t fall for fake petitions, surveys, or charity donations. If it’s about handing over your personal information and giving away money, verify the recipient first. Do some research and make sure the institution/person who asks you for them is authentic/real.
  • Install effective internet security software on your PC that can detect and remove all forms of malware and keep you protected from phishing attacks. Bullguard Internet Security 12 comes with a proactive antivirus engine that detects even the newest forms of malware, an Antiphishing feature that protects you against phishing, a Spamfilter that keeps your inbox clean, in addition to several other security features.

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On this page:

  • Overview
  • IU's policy on chain mail
  • If you receive chain mail

Overview

Many people think of electronic chain mail as messages that promise good luck if you forward them to others and bad luck if you do not. This is a common, though not necessary, characteristic of chain mail. At Indiana University, a message is considered chain mail if it serves a non-academic purpose and requests that the letter be re-sent. Be suspicious of any message that asks you to forward it to others, and do not forward such messages.

Some chain mail involves sending money with the promise of receiving money from those to whom you forward the message, or claims to donate money for a particular cause based on how many copies of the chain mail message you forward. Other examples warn of bad events that you can thwart, or offer a touching story in which you can participate, by forwarding the message to as many people as possible. Nearly every instance of such email is a hoax. These messages often come from people you know, who are not aware that the messages are hoaxes.

At IU, if you're not sure whether a message is legitimate, contact your campus Support Center for advice.

IU's policy on chain mail

IU computer accounts are authorized only for tasks directly related to the educational mission of the university, as described in this excerpt from Appropriate Use of Information Technology Resources (IT-01):

Use of Indiana University information technology resources is restricted to purposes related to the university's mission of research and creative activity, teaching and learning, and civic engagement. Eligible individuals are provided access in order to support their studies, instruction, duties as employees, official business with the university, and other university-sanctioned activities.

If you receive chain mail

If you get chain email from someone with an apparent IU email address, report it immediately to the University Information Security Office (UISO) by forwarding the entire message with full headers intact to ; for more, see About email full headers. Security officers will contact the offender by email. Possible penalties include a warning, loss of account privileges, or legal liability. For more, see If you receive spam.

If you get chain email from someone not affiliated with IU, you can reply to the sender, noting your displeasure, or you can delete and ignore the message. If you choose to complain, make sure you know how to determine the actual source. Include the offending message and all header information. Most email and internet service providers (ISPs) have policies regarding the propagation of chain email and how to deal with it.

This is document aexs in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2021-09-02 17:37:49.

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