Avoid Email Rumor Frenzy

Content:

Unfortunately people spread emails about rumors, supposed letters of support or predictions which are not exactly real or authentic. The following resources should help.

From Snopes: Rumors of War

Rumors of War from www.snopes2.com A collection of links to pages discussing the various rumors to come out of the September 11 terrorist attack on the United States of America. Scopes is the biggest source on these rumors and their updates are added to this page bi-weekly. Current rumors covered:

British journalist Tony Parsons penned an article chiding Brits for their attitude towards the September 11 attack on America. [true] (15 October 2002) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/shame.htm
Terrorists are planning to launch attacks from 7-Eleven stores on July 11 2002 [false] (10 July 2002) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/7eleven.htm
Ten cents per e-mail forward go towards the medical care of a woman who was both widowed and injured in the September 11 terrorist attacks. [false] (28 June 2002) http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/adults/jasmine.htm
It's was a joke about a cheating husband who missed work at the WTC that fatal day because he was with his mistress that morning which had been turned into what looks like an article torn from a newspaper. [Still fake, but still funny] updated (19 June 2002)
Was there an article contrasts compensation to families of September 11 victims with benefits paid to families of servicemen killed on active duty. [true] (7 June 2002) http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/military.htm
Is an image portraying a bald eagle, an American flag, a rainbow, and the outstretched hands of a heavenly figure over the New York skyline the design for an upcoming commemorative stamp to be issued by the U.S. Postal Service? [false] (6 June 2002) http://www.snopes.com/photos/wtcstamp.htm
Does a properly folded U.S. $20 bill reveal images of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon? [old past-time with new twist] (16 May 2002) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/20bill.htm
Did Terrorist attempt to light the fuse to a bomb hidden in his rectum is foiled by airline personnel [false] (12 May 2002) http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/buttbomb.htm
Did an Air Force veteran pens editorial about the need for immigrants to adapt to American culture. [Sort of] (18 April 2002) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/american.htm
Did President Bush speak to Lindsey Yeskoo, the wife of a U.S.
Foreign Service officer, after delivering a speech in Shanghai?
(16 April 2002) http://www.snopes2.com/glurge/yeskoo.htm
Did an Air Force officer named Tony Mitchell send his wife a message [undetermined] Mid March 2002 http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/mitchell.htm
from Afghanistan asking her to enlist Christians to pray in support
of U.S. soldiers engaged in a "blood bath"? (22 April 2002)
Two days after September 11 -- while all other planes were grounded -- did a secret flight arranged by George W. Bush fly Osama bin Laden's relatives out of the USA? [false] (20 March 2002) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/flight.htm
Did the 'blood libel' myth get a shot in the arm when a Saudi Arabian newspaper ran an article claiming that Jews use the blood of Christians and Muslims in foods created to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim. [true] (20 March 2002) http://www.snopes.com/religion/blood.htm
Did a NYC fireman pen a letter demanding Bill Clinton stay away
from September 11-related FDNY events? [See explanation] (18 March 2002) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/stayaway.htm
The Orange County chapter of the American Red Cross declined to allow an invited musical troupe to performs songs such as "God Bless the USA" at an awards luncheon. [true](14 March 2002) http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/redcross.htm
Was the damage to the Pentagon on September 11 caused by something other than a hijacked Boeing 757's being crashed into its side? [false] (11 March 2002) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/pentagon.htm
Internet account describes Todd Beamer's final moments on Flight 93. [True](6 March 2002) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/beamer.htm
A photograph of an ice sculpture depicting an angel leaning on the shoulder of an exhausted New York City firefighter is real. [True] (27 February 2002) http://www.snopes2.com/spoons/photos/fireman.htm
Boycotting Shell, Chevron, Texaco, Exxon, and Mobil will cut off the funding of terrorists. [False] (13 February 2002) http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/nogas.htm
Plans to erect a historically inaccurate monument to the firefighters who died on September 11 have been scrapped. [Was True but now False] (16 January 2002) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/memorial.htm
Has Osama bin Laden been spotted in Utah? [false] (8 January 2002) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/utah.htm
Rumor about bodies in airplane seats being found in apartments near the World Trade Center.[false] (30 December 2001) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/strapped.htm
The account of Adam Mayblum, a survivor of one of the doomed World Trade Center towers. [True] (28 December 2001) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/mayblum.htm
During a hospital visit, did President George W. Bush salute an Army officer who had been badly injured during the September 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon? [True] (27 December 2001) http://www.snopes.com/glurge/birdwell.htm
Is Time magazine considering designating Osama bin Laden as their "Man of the Year" for 2001? [True] (1 December 2001) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/manyear.htm
Did a firm display a sign that announced it would rather do business with 1,000 terrorists than with one Jew? [False] (27 November 2001) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/onejew.htm
Has a Congressional resolution established a National Day of
Reconciliation? [True] (26 November 2001) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/reconcil.htm
Are monies given to the September 11th Fund being used to defend suspected terrorists? [False] (25 November 2001) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/legalaid.htm
Is there something to the Internet rumor that Osama bin Laden ownCitibank. [False] (24 November 2001) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/citibank.htm
How about the rumor that Osama bin Laden is dying of kidney
disease. [Undetermined] (20 November 2001) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/kidney.htm
Will Sylvester Stallone once again portray John Rambo in "Rambo IV," an upcoming film which will feature the hero tackling terrorists in Afghanistan and capturing Osama bin Laden? [undetermined] (18 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/rambo.htm
Singer Charlie Daniels cancelled his appearance at a benefit because its organizers requested he not perform his controversial "This Ain't No Rag, It's a Flag." [true] (18 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/charlie.htm
A woman who had survived the destruction of the World Trade Center died on American Airlines Flight 587 just two months later. [true] (15 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/wtcfate.htm
On the day that American Airlines Flight 587 crashed in New York, both of New Jersey's winning three-number lottery combinations included the numbers 5, 8, and 7: 5-8-7 and 5-7-8. [true] (13 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/lottery.htm
The curious case of a NYC firefighter's dare of Osama bin Laden to "kiss my royal Irish ass" and the crash of Flight 587 into that firefighter's neighborhood. [undetermined] (13 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/rockaway.htm
Mohammad Junaid claims his mom was rescued from the collapsing World Trade Center, but he's now off to join the Taliban anyway -- should we believe him? [undetermined] (12 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/junaid.htm
Did Associated Press briefly carry a photo showing a sailor on the USS Enterprise signing a bomb with the words "HIGH JACK THIS FAGS"? [true] (12 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/bomb.htm
Charities not delivering funds collected in the name of victims of September 11 to those they were intended for? [true] (6 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/charity.htm
Was "The Real Deal," words of wisdom about gas, germs, and nukes, was written by a Army veteran Red Thomas. [true] (6 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/realdeal.htm
From the confusion file: An "Open letter to terrorists from an American grandfather" was written by a pastor named Charles Stanley, but not the famed the Atlanta pastor of that name who appears on the "In Touch" radio and television broadcasts. [false] (6 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/stanley.htm
More September 11 fakery -- a touching but false tale about a dog named Daisy who saved countless lives from the collapsing World Trade Center.[false] (6 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/daisy.htm
Did "God Bless the USA" singer-composer Lee Greenwood dodge the draft in the 1960s by fleeing to Canada? [false] (5 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/music/artists/leegreen.htm
During wartime, is the seal of the President of the United States modified so that the eagle's head looks towards the arrows instead of the olive branch? [false](5 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/history/american/turnhead.htm
Did Oliver North state during the 1987 Iran-Contra hearings that Osama bin Laden was "the most evil person alive" and that "an assassin team [should] be formed to eliminate him and his men from the face of the earth"? [false] (3 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/north.htm
More baseless scarelore -- seven women died after sniffing perfume samples sent in the mail. [false] (3 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/perfume.htm
Were University peaceniks are chased from a restaurant by patrons singing God Bless America? [false] (3 November 2001) http://www.snopes.com/rumors/egghead.htm
According to Gray Davis, Governor of California, a credible threat exists of terrorist activity against bridges in that state. [True] (1 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/bridges.htm
Were six men of Middle Eastern appearance stopped by police in the Midwest but released, even though they possessed Israeli passports and photographs and descriptions of a nuclear power plant in Florida and the Trans-Alaska pipeline? [false] (1 November 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/sixarabs.htm
Did Muhammad Ali offer a pithy quote about religion while visiting the World Trade Center site? [false] (31 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/ali.htm
Garlic and oil of oregano proven remedies for anthrax? [false] (31 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/garlic.htm
Did General John J. Pershing effectively discourage Muslim terrorists in the Philippines by killing them and burying their bodies with pigs? [undetermined] (29 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/pershing.htm
E-mail message examines various automobile manufacturers' contributions to September 11-related relief efforts. [very questionable-since evidence not found on website of manufacturers] (26 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/cars.htm
Did the Clinton administration fail to track down the perpetrators of several terrorist attacks against Americans? [false] (26 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/clinton.htm
The truth about recent mysterious crop duster incidents in Mississippi. [false] (26 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/cropdust.htm
Los Angeles: targeted for a terrorist attack on October 26? [undetermined] (25 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/oct26.htm
Did a convicted terrorist released by Israel at the insistence of the United States participate in the September 11 terrorist attacks on America? [false] (23 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/atta.htm
Some people take umbrage at restrictions on expressions of patriotic sentiment. [explanation fully documented on snopes2] (23 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/american.htm
The fire chief of Berkeley, California, ordered the removal of American flags from city fire trucks.[sort of] (23 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/berkeley.htm
Will signing an e-mail petition help establish a National Firefighters Day? [probably not] (22 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/firemen.htm
Do coded images in oil paintings reveal plans for an upcoming "massive germ attack on the US"? [false] (22 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/wandawi.htm
Were a mother cat and kittens found living in the basement of a restaurant beneath the rubble of the World Trade Center? [undetermined] (20 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/cat.htm
Senator John McCain delivered a speech about a Vietnam POW who was beaten for sewing an American flag into his shirt. [True] (20 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/mccain.htm

Just before Halloween, the FBI investigated the purchase of large amounts of candy from Costco stores in New Jersey. It all turned out to be on the up-and-up, but for a while folks were worried about terrorists passing out anthrax-laden candy to the tots who would be trick-or-treating. [True] (20 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/candy.htm
More fakelore -- His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, did not compose a letter in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks in which he urged the people of the world to become "spiritual activists." [False](18 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/dalai.htm
Put away the steam iron, Eugene. Ironing your mail will not kill off any lurking anthrax spores. [False] (18 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/iron.htm
American propaganda broadcasts are telling the Taliban they are 'condemned' and instructing them in how to surrender. The graphics alone make this a "must read." [true] (18 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/condemn.htm
Does Osama bin Laden own Snapple? [False] (18 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/snapple.htm
Based on information from a meeting with President Bush, did Bishop T.D. Jakes of Dallas tell his congregation to stock up on supplies in anticipation of a "chemical war"? [false] (17 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/jakes.htm
The real story behind the poem "The Binch" and the claim it was penned in order to help explain the World Trade Center attacks to the children at an Atlanta hospital. [False] (15 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/binch.htm
Fear of exposure to anthrax delivered by mail is running high. We try to explain what's real and what's hoopla. [True but check out what they say about it] (12 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/anthrax.htm
The truth about a pro-American editorial run in a Romanian newspaper. [True] (12 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/romania.htm Read it on this website at: http://www.coping.org/911/voices/eyes.htm
A true and chilling tale: Actor James Woods and the terrorists he observed making a dry run on a cross-country flight prior to the attacks of September 11. [appears to be true] (11 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/woods.htm
All about the rumor about a Budweiser employee who purportedly saw Arabs at a convenience store celebrating the terrorist attacks and who pulled all Budweiser product from that store. [False] (11 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/bud.htm
How Bert, the Sesame Street muppet, came to appear on posters carried by supporters of Osama bin Laden. [true] (10 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/bert.htm
Have schools and other municipal agencies been ordered to remove banners displaying the phrase 'God Bless America'? [sort of] (9 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/godbless.htm
We delve into the rumor that the Reuters news agency proscribed the use of the word 'terrorists' to describe those who pulled off the September 11 terrorist attacks on America. [true] (9 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/reuters.htm
Mysticism at the WTC? Construction workers at the World Trade Center found two metal beams in the shape of a cross a few days after the September 11 terrorist attacks. [true] (9 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/cross.htm
Does being an only child (or an only son) automatically exempt you from military service? [False] (8 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/military/onlyson.htm
Mold, not a penis, found in fruit drink. But it sure had folks going for a while! [False] (8 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/horrors/food/punch.htm
No, 30 Ryder, U-Haul, and Verizon trucks were not stolen recently. [false] (11 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/ryder.htm
Did a girl get a letter from her disappeared Afghani boyfriend warning her to not take any flights on September 11 and to stay out of the malls on Halloween? [false] (9 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/mallrisk.htm
Has President George W. Bush been nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize? [Not quite] (7 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/nobel.htm
Did driving with your headlights on during daylight hours on Oct. 11 demonstrate national solidarity and respect for the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks, or was it just another exercise in collectivism? (5 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/headlite.htm
Did a slighting comment made by an American girl about the size of his manhood establish Osama bin Laden's hatred of the USA? [false] (5 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/osama.htm
Women: Take off your clothes and scare terrorists! [false] (5 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/naked.htm
Horrific events show lie of a cheating husband's alibi. [a joke] (5 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/adultery.htm
The town of Gander in Newfoundland played host to thousands of airline passengers stranded there when American airspace was closed after the September 11 terrorist attacks. [true check it out at http://www.coping.org/911/survivor/fl15gander.htm ] (4 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/gander.htm
Did the winner of the FOX reality TV show "Murder in Small Town X," a New York city firefighter, die during rescue efforts at the World Trade Center? [true] (4 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/smaltown.htm
Did MSNBC's web site display unfortunate ad placement after the September 11 terrorist attacks? [undetermined] (3 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/msnbc.htm
A Canadian policeman was suspended for traveling to New York to help search for survivors of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. [true] (3 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/canada.htm
On NBC's "Today" program, did Billy Graham's daughter say to Bryant Gumbel "We need to make up our mind -- do we want God or do we not want Him . . . We cannot just ask Him in when disaster strikes"? [not quite] (3 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/wheregod.htm
Shocking but true: Numerous folks have falsely claimed to have lost loved ones in the 11 September tragedies. [true] (2 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/sympathy.htm
Were the September 11 terrorist attacks on America a failure from a statistical standpoint? [check it out at http://www.coping.org/911/writmood/serious/flip.htm ](2 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/fortune.htm
Did the German destroyer FGS Lutjens salute the American destroyer USS Winston Churchill with a "manning the rails" ceremony and the display of a banner reading "We Stand By You"? [true check it out http://www.spear.navy.mil/ships/ddg81/ukvisit/lutjens.htm [true] (30 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/winston.htm
Were several domain names related to the September 11 terrorist attack on America registered before the attack? [false] (30 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/domain.htm
Has President George W. Bush sponsored the creation of a Presidential Prayer Team? [false] (29 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/prayer.htm
In 1941, did newsman Edward R. Murrow pen a piece about the need for restraint in the American response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor? [false] (29 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/murrow.htm
Legend on the loose: Kindness performed for a stranger nets information about upcoming terrorist attack. [false] (29 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/warning.htm
Was actor Jackie Chan scheduled to begin filming a movie at the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11 but changed his plans because the screenwriter failed to deliver the script for the planned scene on time? [undetermined] (29 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/jackchan.htm
Fear of exposure to Anthrax delivered by mail is running high (true)(12 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/anthrax.htm
Kindness performed for a stranger nets warning about upcoming terrorist attack. (hoax)(12 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/warning.htm
Thirty Ryder, Verizon, and U-Haul trucks have been stolen recently, presumably by terrorists who will use them in the ongoing attack on America (false)(11 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/ryder.htm
Girl receives letter from her disappeared Afghan boyfriend saying terrorists are going to strike at U.S. malls on Halloween. (false) (10 October 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/mallrisk.htm
Is online bookseller Amazon.com partnered with the web site Intifada.com? (not any more) (27 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/amazon.htm
Another fake 'missing kid' alert: Penny Brown. (false)(27 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/inboxer/children/penny.htm
No, Dunkin' Donut employees of Arab extraction did not celebrate as news of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon was aired. (false)(26 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/dunkin.htm
Did a Dallas schoolboy predict the start of World War III one day before the terrorist attacks on America? (undetermined)(26 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/predict2.htm
Will sending a petition to the United Nations Information Centre help prevent World War III? (false)(25 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/un.htm
Starbucks charged ambulance workers $130 for three cases of water intended for the injured during the search and rescue at the World Trade Center. (true)(25 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/starbuck.htm
Dr. Tony Kern, a former USAF Lieutenant Colonel, authored a letter about what America can expect in a war against terrorists. (true) (25 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/tonykern.htm
Unburned Bible found amidst the charred wreckage of the Pentagon after the September 11 terrorist attack? (false)(25 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/bible.htm
"Voter Virus" is being disseminated via e-mail. (false)(24 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/inboxer/virus/virus.htm#vote
Did ABC anchorman Peter Jennings say during a September 11 newscast that President Bush should "quit hiding behind the Secret Service, come out and face the nation, and explain his failure to protect the country from these terrorist attacks"? (false)(24 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/jennings.htm
Picture shows graphic message sent by terrorists via cell phone to communicate success of attack on New York City. (In Economist.com article) (21 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/nokia.htm
Did a United Airlines pilot deliver a stirring speech to passengers wherein he incited them to overpower any hijackers that might make their presence known? (true) (21 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/pilot.htm
Did a photograph capture an unlucky tourist posing on the observation deck of a World Trade Center tower seconds before a hijacked airliner smashed into the building? (hoax) (21 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/crash.htm
President Bush declared, "I'm not gonna fire a $2 million missile at a $10 empty tent and hit a camel in the butt." (true)(20 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/bush.htm
Was a further wave of terrorist attacks due on September 22? (undetermined)(20 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/sept22.htm
Does terrorist Osama bin Laden own extensive gum arabic holdings? (not any more) (20 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/arabic.htm
A bound pair of hands was found atop one of the buildings near the former World Trade Center towers. (true)(19 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/hands.htm
Typing particular letter combinations into Microsoft Word using Wingdings and Webdings fonts produces some eerie results. (false)(19 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/wingding.htm
Clear Channel Communications issued a list of songs officially banned from airplay to their American radio stations? (false)(18 September 2001) http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/radio.htm

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