hoax

Hoaxes are electronic false reports that are deliberately spread by third parties via e-mail. Hoaxes contain text that is intended to mislead. Like a newspaper hoax or an April Fool's joke, however, hoaxes do no direct harm.

In order to find a wide distribution, hoaxes are handled as chain letters.

A hoax can cover any topic, from a warning about a virus, corporate and stock market news, environmental protection and the weather to other warnings. They spread extremely fast and are not detected by virus scanners. Hoaxes usually contain calls to forward them to acquaintances and colleagues. They are distributed via e-mails or even instant messaging or short message services( SMS).