The Free M&M Candy Email Is A Hoax

Last significant update: 14 October 1999

This information can be freely reproduced in any medium, as long as the information is unmodified.

Thanks to JRUTHE for first bringing this to our attention on 23 July, 1999.

If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is. In this case, it definitely is.... Yet another pyramid scheme, disguised as candy instead of money.

Remember what your mother said about accepting candy from strangers? Well, hoaxters are very strange indeed.

Here is the text of the hoax:

> Subject: Have some fun-this is not a hoax.

Yes it is.

> Hi.  My name is Jeffrey Newieb.  

How odd. An anagram of "newbie."

> I am a marketing analyst for M & Ms chocolate candies based in
> Hershey,Pennsylvania.

Need I point out that M&Ms are a product of Mars, Inc, not Hershey?

Need I point out that Mars headquarters are located on the West Coast, not in Pennsylvania?

Need I point out that nothing is mentioned on the Mars or Hershey's web site about this ?

I didn't think so.

> As the year 2000 approaches,  we want to be the candy of the millenium
> - As you may already know,  the roman numeral for Y2K is MM.

That's sort of cute -- and already part of their M&M ad campaigns.

> We are asking you to pass on this e-mail to 5 friends. Our tracking
> device is calculating how many e-mails you send out. 

No such tracking devise exists for email, nor is it likely ever to exist -- outside of agencies like NSA, anyway.

> Everytime it reaches 2000 people, you will receive a free case (100
> individual 55 gram packs) of delicious M & M candies.

NOT.

> That means the more people it reaches, the more candy you're going to
> get.

NOT.

> Mmmmmm... yummy M & Ms for the year 2000!!  Remember,  nothing but bad
> luck will come your way if you do not share this with at least 5
> people!

This final "evil upon you if you break the chain" rubbish is typical of this sort of thing -- and absolutely exposes it for the hoax it is.

Please do not forward this -- or any other hoax -- to all your friends.

Instead, you should reply to the sender -- and as far back up the email chain as you have energy -- informing the originators that this is a hoax. For this particular hoax, I suggest that you provide a pointer to this URL (http://www.umich.edu/~virus-busters/hoaxes/m-and-m.html)
For virus or hoax info, please see our main page (http://www.umich.edu/~virus-busters/) or go to another reputable site, like DataFellows (leaving our site).

   -BPB

visits to this page since 14 October, 1999 14:51 EDT