I got a beauty forwarded to me this morning in my email:
-----Original Message----- From: [snip'd] Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 08:56 To: [snip'd] Subject: Message from Strathclyde Police THIS MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED FROM STRATHCLYDE POLICE CAR JACKING SCHEME You walk across the car park, unlock your car and get inside. Then you lock all your doors, start the engine and shift or put into REVERSE, and you look into the rear-view mirror to back out of your parking space and you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle of the rear window. So, you shift the gear stick back into park or neutral, unlock your doors and jump out of your car to remove that paper (or whatever it is) that is obstructing your view. When you reach the back of your car that is when the car-jackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off!! Your engine was running, you would have left your purse in the car and they practically mow you down as they speed off in your car. BE AWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED IN LONDON/MANCHESTER MAKING ITS WAY UP HERE!!!!!!!! Just drive away and remove the paper later! It is stuck to your window and be thankful that you read this email. I hope you will forward this to friends and family especially to women! A purse contains all identification, and you certainly do NOT want someone getting your home address. They already HAVE your keys!!! JUST BE AWARE AND TAKE CARE IT WILL PROBABLY SOON ARRIVE IN YOUR AREA Brian Molloy Detective Constable Force Intelligence Bureau Strathclyde Police 0141 532 5867
If you get something like this, and it smells like a hoax ... it's because it is a hoax — what gives this particular gem away is that it's supposedly an official missive from Strathclyde Police, yet it's littered with capitals and exclamation marks, and most noticably incites you to forward it to all and sundry — don't forward it on. A cursory google for carjacking and spam, hoax, chain letter or snopes (to check the Snopes urban myth site) shows many examples of how this particular spam — and it is spam — has propagated over the years.
Remember: if it looks like it, and smells like it, check it, then bin it. Eventually you'll recognise them on sight and bin them immediately.