Not all thieves are stupid - Snopes say: Partly True

This forwarded email received today, is just years old. It comes with many other titles, such as Not all thieves are stupid; GPS Burglary; News you can use; etc. Extract:

.A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that someone she knew had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard.
When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.
Something to consider if you have a GPS - don't put your home address in it.. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.

"... if you have a GPS - don't put your home address in it." Read the full story at Snopes.com

Misleading Aspirin Email -- Today's forward and the routing

Everyday you get a tip (healthy, fishy, nostalgic or otherwise), most are forwards, MOST are not verified for credibility, reliability and accuracy. Here is one such received and the true story from the horse's mouth:

Mayo Clinic News
Medical and Scientific News and Stories about Mayo Clinic

Extract:
We have been informed of a recently circulated email regarding the use of aspirin, which included mention of Dr. Virend Somers and of Mayo Clinic. Neither Dr. Somers nor Mayo Clinic contributed to this email, which contains some information that is inaccurate and potentially harmful. We recommend that you speak with your physician if you have specific questions. continue reading the Mayo Clinic News

On the same shelf:

•  
• FDA Tells Bayer to Stop Illegal Marketing of Aspirin Brands for Pain, Heart, Osteoporosis
  
• Emergency Aspirin Advice (check Snopes) [Archive] - ST-Owners.com
  
• Metropolitan Toronto Police Pensioners Association's Good To Know: Mayo Clinic on Aspirin
  

Think Before you Click and Send - New York Times

What to Think About Before You Hit ‘Send’
By ALINA TUGEND | New York Times @ Yahoo news– Fri, 20 Apr, 2012 4:30 PM EDT

Extract:

The No. 1 question to ask yourself before hitting “send” on the next e-mail, Mr. Godin says, is this: “Is this going to one person?”

ONE BOTTOMLINE:
¶ Don’t forward chain e-mails. Don’t forward chain e-mails. Don’t forward chain e-mails.
Continue reading @ New York Times See also 408 comments and growing

On the same shelf:

What to think about before you hit 'send'?, Hamilton Spectator‎

SEX AnD TECH, FIVE THINGS TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE PRESSING “SEND” thenationalcampaign.org

Facebook TimeLine Hoax - Forwarded again

The message comes like this (depends on the twists and turns):

With the new 'FB timeline' on its way this week for EVERYONE...please do both of us a solid: Hover over my name above. In a few seconds you'll see a box that says "Subscribed." Hover over that, then go to "Comments and Likes" and unclick it. That will stop my posts and yours to me from showing up on the side bar for everyone to see, but MOST IMPORTANTLY it LIMITS HACKERS from invading our profiles. If you re-post this I will do the same for you.

What others are doing to tell you the otherwise? Read the following:

A Hoax-Slayer Nutshell: Protest Message Rails Against New Facebook Timeline

Harry Waldron - Computer Security News

Snoops link verifing that it a hoax

Scams target anti-Timeline Facebook users, USA TODAY

Extract: As a company, Facebook has tried to educate its millions of users, pointing out options, updating security information, and answering privacy concerns. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that's been enough, with more than 70,000 people joining anti-Timeline pages across the board.

Protect Your Facebook Account from the Latest Hack
‎

Better Business Bureau scammed

Staff Reports
Posted: 12/09/2011 12:44:34 AM PST

SACRAMENTO — The Better Business Bureau of Northeast California, an organization accustomed to warning consumers about scams and shady business practices, finds itself a pawn in a suspected fraud.

The BBB said consumers and businesses throughout Northern California are receiving emails pretending to have come from the bureau, but are actually random attempts to gain financial information, known as "phishing."

The bureau said the emails appear to be complaint forms, and have a variety of subject lines including operations@-bbb.org, support@bbb.org and riskmanager@bbb.org. continue reading

Forwarding Chain Emails Prime Target For Hackers

Greensboro - Email has become a part of daily life for most, but what many people don't know is how easily your email can be taken over by hackers. continue reading or Watch this video:

Beware of e-mail scam offering to rescue friends - To all with love and malice towards none

1. Police warn of another email scam
   
2. "Poorly worded" email plea prompts scam worries‎, April 23, 2011, dailypress.com ["Tornado Damages Moton Campus — We Need Your Help!"]
   
3. Police Newsletter: Crime: 13 April 2011, Thames Valley Police, UK
   
4. Beware of e-mail scam offering to rescue friends - Topix
   
5. Something phishy is going on
   
6. 5 Natural Disaster Scams To Watch For
   
7. Beware of new phishing email Dodge County News, 16 Apr 2011
   

On the same shelf:

Boycott Gasoline: not buying gas on March 14, a chain letter circulating since 1999

Boycott Gasoline? Why Gas Urban Legends Won't Affect Prices, Aaron Crowe, http://www.walletpop.com
The email chain letter or Facebook invitations wading their way through the Internet this week are enticing to anyone who has had to fill up their car with gas lately: "Join a national protest by not buying gas on March 14!" Or, "Send a message to Big Oil by boycotting gasoline for a day."

But like every urban legend, it sounds good until you look at the details and realize it's the same misinformation that has been passed around for years. There are plenty of legitimate ways to save on gas, but these myths won't do it.

The gas boycott that has been called for in some form of a chain letter since 1999 is based on a flawed premise. The "gas out" doesn't ask people to use less gas, only to change their date of purchase and buy it a day earlier or later than they normally would, according to a Snopes.com analysis of the rumor. continue reading: http://www.walletpop.com

On the Same Shelf:

FBI Warns of Three Online Scams: Sex, Taxes and a Desktop Hijack [source]

Coca Cola’s Secret Recipe ‘Exposed’, Claims Website - Is it true or false?

Link Newspaper (leading Indo-Canadian Newspaper), February 18th, 2011

LONDON – The ingredients of Coca Cola have always been a mystery. Now, a website claims to have uncovered the soft drink’s top secret recipe which is said to be guarded 24 hours a day in a vault in Atlanta, Georgia.

‘Thisamericanlife.org’ claims to have discovered a list in a photograph in a newspaper article giving the secret ingredients and exact quantities to make the drink which was founded by John Pemberton, a medicinal pharmacist in 1886. continue reading

However, Toronto Life's update, "Recipe theft and cancer scares: rounding up Coca-Cola’s bad week," February 19, 2011 reports:

"Coca-Cola reps fired back this week, denying the accuracy of the leaked recipe. Spokeswoman Kerry Tressler told Reuters:

“Many third parties, including ‘This American Life,’ have tried to crack our secret formula. Try as they might, they’ve been unsuccessful because there is only one ‘Real Thing.’" continue reading Toronto Life

See also on the same shelf:

Team CoCo... Cola @ This american life.org’

Coke has no alcohol in it, says manufacturer, The Economic Times

Coca-Cola's secret recipe on tap, "Coca-Cola's secret recipe reportedly revealed by radio show" Vancouver Sun February 15, 2011
[See the (alleged) Coca-Cola recipe, ingredient by ingredient, here]

Coca Cola Recipe Possibly Uncovered, ChatterShmatter.com

What's in your soft drink? Safety of 'caramel colour' questioned, ‎ Globe and Mail

Coca-Cola Series, The Form of Money