Mythbusting Resources and Links

So you suspect a recent e-mail might be a hoax, but how do you check it out? Here is a list of resources that can help!

Hoaxes, Rumors and Urban Legends (O My!)

BreakTheChain.org – A website dedicated to stopping the spread of junk e-mail and misinformation. Includes a searchable archive of hoaxes, rumors and chain letters. Also features a Library of resources on topics that include E-petitions and Boycotts, False Attribution Syndrome, Chain Forwarding Psychology 101, and C’Mon, What Can It Hurt?.

Current Netlore: Health/Medical (on About.com) – This About.com site catalogs current health rumors and provides links to sources of information debunking questionable claims.

HealthFactsAndFears.com – The American Council on Science and Health tracks the facts about health information reported online and in the media.

HoaxBusters.ciac.org – A U.S. Department of Energy website that offers information on the Risks and Costs of Hoaxes, what to do if you receive a hoax or chain letter, and recognizing hoaxes. This site includes links to Other Hoax Pages and a search feature.

Hoax-Slayer.com – Brett Christensen tracks the latest in E-mail hoaxes, Internet scams, PC security, and spam control. Hoax-Slayer’s free newsletter offers anti-spam tips, computer security information and more.

OnGuardOnline.gov – The federal government and the technology industry provide practical tips to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.

Purportal.com – A one-stop shop for Internet myth busting. This site lets you search key words from a suspected hoax in a number of online databases and offers a comprehensive list of Handy and Edifying Links to other myth-busting websites.

Snopes.com – Hoax experts Barbara and David Mikkelson organize their extensive Urban Legends Reference Pages by topics common to the Internet rumor mill. This site offers up-to-the-minute research on all sorts of stories, rumors and strange news.

TruthOrFiction.com – Developed by urban legend researcher Rich Buhler, this site researches rumors and tells you how to spot them. Its Anatomy of a Rumor section provides useful write-ups on topics like Where Do e-Rumors Come From? and Knowing Whether a Story is False.

Urban Legend Combat Kit – Not sure what to say to someone who’s just sent you an urban legend? This site offers canned responses that can help. It also provides step-by-step instructions for debunking Internet myths using “Bookmarklets” (links that let you use a search engine’s database without actually visiting the search engine’s website).

Urban Legends and Folklore (on About.com) – A searchable archive that analyzes Internet hoaxes, rumors and urban legends.

Virus Hoaxes and Netlore – Debunks e-mail hoaxes, chain letters, petitions and boycotts, scams and other netlore. Includes a search function and analysis of the Potential Effects of Forwarding Email to Everyone You Know!

 

Health Information

American Cancer Society – Up-to-date, accurate information about cancer-related issues, research and news. Dispels myths, e-mail hoaxes, rumors and half-truths about cancer. Experts provide facts and history on the Top 10 Cancer Myths in the United States.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Recognized as the lead federal agency for protecting the health and safety of people, CDC addresses health-related hoaxes and rumors.

HealthCentral Internet Hoax Watch – Dr. Dean Edell takes on Internet health hoaxes.

MayoClinic.com - Mayo Clinic Health Information's award-winning consumer website offers health information, and self-improvement and disease management tools. The MayoClinic.com's medical experts and editorial professionals bring access to the knowledge and experience of Mayo Clinic. This site addresses health myths (Tip: Enter key words in search window) and includes an "Ask a Specialist" feature.

Medline Plus: Health Fraud – This National Library of Medicine site has links to many government websites and other expert sources of information on health frauds and hoaxes.

National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine – This division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) offers "Ten Things to Know about Evaluating Medical Resources on the Web."

 

Recommended Reading

“Copy This Article & Win Free Cash!” – A look at the phenomena of e-chain letters as writer Jonathon Keats explores the origins of “the most forwarded hoax in history.” (Wired Magazine, July 2004)

“Don’t Get Sent Through the Cancer Rumor Mill” – In this WebMD article, Susan Steeves discusses Internet health rumors and provides guidance to help determine fact from fiction. (WebMD, September 2001)

“Evaluating Internet Research Sources” – A look at screening and evaluating Web-based information by Robert Harris. (VirtualSalt, November 1997)