Windows 98 Hoax

URL: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~cgaunt/win98_hoax.html

Last update: May 17, 1998 by Chris Gaunt, cgaunt@umich.edu.

The Bill Gates Beta Email Tracking Application Hoax

Here is the text of the message that was recently forwarded to one of my lists by an unsuspecting subscriber. I did not find the whole message on the U-Michigan's Virus Busters' Web page ( http://www.umich.edu/~wwwitd/virus-busters/index.html).

Do not forward this or any other message you may receive to a mailing list without first checking to see if it is real, especially if it urges you to forward it to as many of your friends as you can!

Chris Gaunt, cgaunt@umich.edu or gaunt@genealogy.org
Campbell-L and BTRVETC-L listowner
Co-compiler of Genealogy Resources on the Internet
Web: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~cgaunt/gen_int1.html
File (2.4M): via autoreply from gresinet.txt@genealogy.org

Date:   Friday, January 9, 1998 4:12:36 PM
From:   XyCreator
Subj:   PLEASE READ! YOULL BE GLAD YOU DID!
To:     Slacker224, CORCY, Fcetwoface, BaksideOli, Pirtygrl, FURBER, Cryptomix,
JWagner863, beem@theonramp.net

TO: MASSAOL@aol.com
FROM: GatesBeta@microsoft.com
ATTACH: Tracklog@microsoft.com/Track883432/~TraceActive/On.html

Hello Everyone,
And thank you for signing up for my Beta Email Tracking Application or (BETA)
for short. My name is Bill Gates.  Here at Microsoft we have just compiled an
e-mail tracing program that tracks everyone to whom this message is forwarded
to. It does this through an unique IP (Internet Protocol) address log book
database.
We are experimenting with this and need your help.  Forward this
to everyone you know and if it reaches 1000 people everyone
on the list you will receive $1000 and a copy of Windows98 at my expense.
Enjoy.

Note: Duplicate entries will not be counted. You will be notified by email
with further instructions once this email has reached 1000 people. Windows98
will not be shipped unitl it has been released to the general public.

Your friend,
Bill Gates & The Microsoft Development Team.