Re: I don't condone chain emails but ... [debunked]

[Purplemath <stapel at purplemath dot com>]

Dear fellow recipient,

Today, you and I received the following, apparently as part of a "forward 
to all" listing on which we both were listed:

 > Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations
 > have conditioned us to think that the cost of a
 > litre is CHEAP....

While it can be amusing to think of oneself as being privy to "secret" or 
"vast right-wing" "conspiracies", etc, the laws of supply and demand are, 
I'm afraid, fairly well documented and are not, in fact, "plots" of any 
sort. I regret to inform that chain letters and other potentially-illegal 
activities are unlikely to disprove, let alone overturn, these economic facts.

My personal experience has been that, before forwarding messages of this 
sort to "everybody", it is often helpful to do a little research. 
Widely-broadcast hoaxes are generally quite-thoroughly documented. In this 
case


  Snopes ("the" urban-myth reference site)
  http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/gasout.asp

  Truth or Fiction
  http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/f/fuelprotest.htm

  Investopedia: Why You Can't Influence Gas Prices
  http://investopedia.com/articles/economics/08/gas-price-emails.asp


As can be discerned from the above, this oil-boycott myth has been popping 
up online -- usually in the late spring or early summer (that is, near the 
beginning of the summer vacation / road-trip season) -- since at least the 
year 2000.

If you have been buying petrol (gasoline) during that period, then you are 
aware that the previous "campaigns" had no appreciable effect; logically, 
it would seem unlikely that this year will produce any better result. In 
particular, there is no "need" to foward the solicitation to everyone in 
your "address book".

In general, you can learn more about how to combat chain letters on this 
dedicated-purpose site:

  Break the Chain
  http://www.breakthechain.org/index.html

My best wishes to you all, and my apologies for any offense.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Stapel


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It should be noted that sending "snail-mail" chain letters is often a 
violation of national law:

  United States Postal Inspection Service
  http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/investigations/MailFraud/fraudschemes/sweepstakesfraud/ChainLetters.aspx

  United Stated Federal Trade Commission
  http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/chainalrt.shtm

  United Kingdom Royal Mail (see page 4)
  ftp://ftp.royalmail.com/Downloads/public/ctf/rm/rmg/Suppliers_Information_Security_Schedule.pdf

And sending e-mail chain letters is usually a violation of the "Terms of 
Use" for one's e-mail or Internet account. Check with your ISP or other 
provider for specifics.