Hoaxes & E-mail that won't Die
Signals of Malicious Intent
INTRODUCTION
Because Prayertower hosts large mailing lists and distributes thousands of messages, we receive many prayer requests from around the world. Some of these are chain letters and have been forwarded to many others before we receive them. Also, they are usually sent to us by well-intentioned people who want to do the right thing. Others send, what seems to be, EMERGENCY requests whose content has remained unchanged in cyber space while circling the web for years.
One of the increasing trends in Internet use by Christians is the "forwarding" of prayer requests. We call this activity, ROUTING and PT works with extreme diligence to become the most reliable router in the world. Routers connect REQUESTS and PRAY-ERS, some through email, others thru telephone prayer chains.
What type of information is normally routed? There are jokes, stories, pictures, devotions, web links, chain letters, newsletters and targeted group distribution such as 724info, the routing service of PT. PT distributes only prayer related material, but sees a lot of email more than once because of the diversity of our membership.
Integrity is the most significant character quality PT seeks to demonstrate. Those who trust us to monitor and distribute messages deserve the very best effort and PT works to deliver on that expectation. That means spending significant time validating the integrity of requests and the message originator.
The word, "malicious", which means "intentionally harmful", may seem too harsh for the distribution of misinformation. After all, this term is perfectly suited to computer hackers and virus distributors. One might ask, how a phony or aged prayer request can be compared to such things.
In our opinion, the distribution of false prayer requests could potentially disrupt mail service, waste prayer time and even worse, generate skepticism toward REAL and timely prayer needs. If done intentionally, it is malicious. If forwarded without concern for the validity of the request or the sender, it can be irresponsible.
Why do people knowingly generate a false prayer request? Generally, they exhibit the same subversive mentality of a virus author in that they:
- Desire to create an "immortal" message , or one that never dies.
- Conceal their identity,
- Seek fame from publicized frustration,
- Seek approval and bragging rights among their peers as they seek to create a better and more believable "spin".
If you receive a message without personal knowledge of the person or situation, you might be a victim of a hoax, or a prank. We consider prayer important and are not amused when someone tends to mock or frustrate it. Therefore, we've compiled the following information to assist people in checking for signs of a hoax:
In the Subject and Body of the prayer request, is the following information listed? (Multiple "Yes" responses indicate a possible hoax):
- Are the words, "URGENT" or "EMERGENCY" in the Subject/Body of the message?
- Is the theme of the request, "Please Forward this to as many as you can"? or "Do you have a large mailing list"? Does the request seem to be more concerned about forwarding to those with large list than applying scripture, mentioning God's will or the faith of those around the object of the prayer?
- Is the subject of the request a little child and referred to as "little", "angel" etc.? Does the person requesting prayer ask you to visualize the child as your own? Ask about how you would "feel" if it was your own child? These seem to be a attempt to generate an emotional response in the receiver. (Does a person pray by emotional attachment or by faith?)
- Is the phrase "needs a miracle" used more than once?
- Does the message state that the originator "does not have a list" or "doesn't know how to do start one"? (Peculiar when you consider they just did!)
- Does the message urge you to "start a chain" or find others with mailing chains? What does this have to do with prayer?
- Is the e-mail missing complete names of people and places where the request might be validated? Is the basic message unchanged after a long period of time?
- Are dates excluded from the message? Dating would tend to "age" the message, reducing the "emergency" nature of the request, thereby "killing" the chain letter.
- The use of threat or profanity is a sure sign the message is a hoax.
If you received a prayer request and several of these signs are prevalent, you are most likely dealing with a hoax. Another good idea is to compare the request with known hoaxes to see if there are striking similarities in the content and layout. Note: Some hoaxes are actual modifications of earlier ones that have proven to have a long life and may even match the progressive instance of signals.
Unlike the hoax, ETWD may be legitimate, or at least it was when it was originally sent. In any case it is hard to prove or disprove. Here are the characteristics and behavior of ETWD:
1. Without an UPDATE sent by a responsible ROUTER, there is no way for a well-meaning receiver of these messages to verify the message integrity. Responsible pray-ers will generally send a message header that says something like, "I don't know if this is valid or not. But to be safe, I am sending to you."
2. Legitimate requests may have long since been answered. How can a person, whose prayer has been answered tell the world to stop forwarding the original request? They can't because there is No CONTROL and there is NO ADMINISTRATOR unless it is controlled by a ministry like PT. (And even a ministry like PT can't prevent the well-intentioned forwarding of misinformation by well-intentioned people. They can only validate information or expose misinformation, if asked.)
3. Original messages may have been modified by someone in the chain with no knowledge of the background or the object of the prayer. Well meaning "added" comments and a reformatting of the message blends the original content and the "new" content. (If you've ever played the "I've got a secret" game at a party, you know how a simple message can change in the course of a very few whispers.)
WHAT ARE THE DANGERS OF A HOAX/ETWD?
- If a ETWD includes a person's name, it can be a source of extreme irritation and frustration as well-meaning people around the world try to validate the request first hand. In that case, the privacy of the family is trampled on over and over again. It's like receiving an automated fax call to your home in the middle of the night. Unless you have a fax machine in your home, you may find yourself awake at 2am answering a phone call from a machine that won't respond to a human voice and won't quit.
- To discuss the issue of time spent praying for unreal requests is beyond the scope of this discussion. However, we feel that people have only limited time to pray each day. If that time is spent on something that can't be satisfied, a legitimate request suffers, as does valuable ministry time.
Scripture tells us that "Satan roams and roars, seeking those he can torment." This indicates that our adversary's primary weapon is intimidation and fear. Perhaps this discussion has embarrassed you because you have forwarded hoaxes and ETWD to your family and friends in the past. Get over it. We all have done that! The issue is whether you will be responsible now that you know, or continue to act foolishly in spite of having received knowledge.
This form of communication is used by the majority of people to send interesting content to one another. Those within a group are generally associated by church, family, work and firends. If you've compiled a distribution list of friends and regularly send things to your group, you are subject to be caught up in a chain letter scheme.
Most of us have been approached about forwarding something to our distribution list which we received from someone else (with a list including your own name). The purpose may be to earn money (without work), or to appeal to some political or religious issue. Other times, some believe the chain letter to be fun as a misleading message is spread around the Internet like a spider in a web.
The most dangerous side of chain letters is they tend to evolve into a prayer chain where the same "rules" above are used to solicit prayer from Christians. And therein lies the problem. Who can validate the request? Where did it originate? How can you follow up on the request to seek answers to your prayer, as the Bible directs us to do? You get the picture.
There is nothing inherently wrong with a chain letter except that it has the tendency to evolve into something you never intended. If you are so inclined to include your name and address in the message, and someone in the chain decides to modify the request into a hoax, you've got a problem. You may never be be able to stop it from circulating.
Have you ever seen kudzu driving along a road in the southern U.S.? Kudzu is a weed-like grass that grows anywhere and everywhere. It was originally planted to prevent erosion. Now, it covers trees, shrubs and everything else in its way, many times killing the host. You can't hardly kill it and you can't stop it! Neither will you be able to kill a chain letter once it is born.
Prayertower's philosophy of prayer requests is to apply control that can validate requests. It also seeks to provide updates which encourage people to seek REAL answers to prayer requests, rather than float a prayer in hope it might be real!
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS CONTENT ON HOAXES?
The best way to identify the inspiration is to allow you to listen to a conversation between two WebServants, one serving Prayertower and the other, the world's largest missionary organization:
Mon 6/26/00 1:18 PM I received a request this morning. Before I distribute it, I would like to validate its authenticity. I remember a previous false prayer request for this person not long ago. Could you direct me to the person who could help me? Thx, WebServant, PT
Mon 6/26/00 1:46 PM Greetings! I received your message below from our Prayer Office and will try to answer in the most helpful possible way. I am enjoying looking at your site, and thank you for sending those links, for it is much easier to understand your needs that way.
Thank you for checking with us about this request. Perhaps I shouldn't even mention this, but this individual is not and never has been a Southern Baptist missionary with the IMB. Thank you for NOT passing the prayer request on any further. WebServant, imb
Mon 6/26/00 3:18 PM Thx so much.. By the way, do you have any information for known "problem" prayer requests for missionaries other than this person? I plan to create a page on Prayertower with information that can be used to disqualify known misleading prayer-chain e-mail. I don't plan to into finger pointing, but I would like to teach responsible prayer routing, something that seems to be missing these days.
With this and other non-missionary "bad" requests of which I'm aware, I feel confident I can help people recognize possible problems before passing them on to others. I know I can't stop the problem, but perhaps I can inspire a few people to err on the side of caution at least. WebServant, PT
Tue 6/27/00 6:01 AM You're more than welcome, and I think you have a terrific idea! The only other problem WE have is regarding Michael Hutchinson, who indeed did kill a Muslim boy with his car in about April of last year, but who was reported to be in danger of being hanged if found guilty by a Muslim court.
There was SO little truth in that one at all, but we received numerous messages about it. In fact, THAT one even made a website that deals with urban legends and folklore (fortunately reported truthfully and accurately)! WebServant, imb
Tue 6/27/00 7:01 AM Thx again. I feel we've just touched the fringe of this problem, especially as "cyber" prayer becomes more visible/popular. Anyway, I appreciate your help. WebServant, PT
Tue 6/27/00 7:09 AM I'm SO glad I could help! We WebServants like to help each other. I'm afraid you're right about just touching the fringe of the problem. WebServant, imb
