Outline:
Threatening chain letter claims that a dead teenager will kill the recipient if he or she does not forward or repost the message.
A note for younger readers:
This message is just a silly story that people have sent around for a long time. Everything it says in the message is a lie designed to scare you for no reason. Don’t worry, absolutely nothing whatsoever will happen to you if you don’t repost or share this message. I know because, doing this work, I have received hundreds of these emails and, even though I have never sent even one of them on, nothing has ever happened to me.
(January 2006)
THIS IS NO JOKE………. SOMETHING GOOD WILL HAPPEN TO U TONIGHT AT 10:22 IF YOU SEND THIS TO 15 PPL. SOMEONE WILL CALL U OR TALK TO U ONLINE AND SAY I LOVE U. DON’T FORWARD… COPY AND PASTE………
THIS IS NOT A JOKE
Detailed Analysis:
This very nasty chain letter is targeted squarely at children and adolescents. Versions of the message have circulated for years, mainly via email. However, a new social media variant of the message is currently causing fear and alarm among younger Facebook users.
Of course, there is no truth in the ridiculous notion that a dead person will appear in the recipient’s bedroom if he or she does not forward or repost the message.
Please do not send this nonsense onward if you receive it. Even if you think sending it on is harmless or funny, remember that it may find its way to the inbox or News Feed of an impressionable child. The themes of horror and violence that characterize this message could be quite distressing for children and even some adults.
In fact, similar scare chains have circulated in various forms for decades. Such scary stories have long been at the core of many folk tales and urban legends. More “adult” versions of the tales tend to warn breathlessly of disguised killers or narrow escapes from a terrible fate.
Last updated: 23rd November 2011
First published: 4th Jan 2006
By Brett M. Christensen
About Hoax-Slayer
References
Bloody Mary Curse Chain Email
Sundarbans Ghost Chain Letter
Old Woman and The Smashed Car Window Abduction Warning Hoax
Gang Member Hidden in Back Seat Myth
