Updated: 4 June 2021
Added 19 January 2005

Most of you, at some time,  will have received bulk e-mails, asking you to forward them on to everyone in your address book.  Please don’t! Not only is this incredibly annoying to those who receive multiple copies, but such e-mails put a massive strain on the networks and upset our IT people.

Please also be aware, that sending such messages to everyone in the Parliamentary Network is an abuse of the system.

Microsoft, IBM, Norton, etc. never send out shock-horror virus warnings by e-mail.  The manner in which such e-mails are written are usually a clue to authenticity; phrases such as “this virus will destroy everything on your hard drive!!!!!!!!!” do not come from genuine sources.

Always check the authenticity of ‘please send this to everyone you know’ messages before you even think of sending them on to anyone – 99% of them are hoaxes.  You can check out the authenticity of such messages at the following websites:

• Snopes Urban Legends at http://www.snopes.com/  Check the sections titled ‘Frauds and Scams’ and ‘Inboxer Rebellion’ in the ‘Archive’ section for email hoaxes (you’ll also find the rest of the site irresistible on quiet Fridays)

Please think very carefully before sending legitimate bulk e-mails.  Always put the addresses in the ‘BCC’ field (VIEW > BCC) rather than the ‘to’ or ‘CC’ fields and don’t forget to turn off the receipt request facility too, otherwise you’ll be inundated.