Rumor Control

Before passing on that e-mail message with the plea for e-mails or cards to a dying child, or the various ways to catch AIDS or other diseases from seemingly improbable sources, please take the time to check and verify the accuracy of the information. The Internet has become the superhighway for Urban Legends. The first site that I go to in verifying the accuracy of a story is at http://www.snopes2.com. The second site is at http://www.urbanlegends.com.

Korean Driver's License Requirement

06-09-08 A new rumor is going around that government employees are now required to have a Korean driver's license. This is NOT TRUE. Only civilian contractors with SOFA status are required to have a Korean driver's license. For all others without SOFA status, there is no change. You must have a Korean driver's license, although a valid International Driver's License is good for up to one year from entry into Korea, after which a Korean driver's license is required to continue driving.

In God We Trust (?)

04-02-08 The Treasury Department has started issuing new dollar coins, and the rabid urban legend afficionados were quick to jump on it with this e-mail: "Please help do this... refuse to accept these when they are handed back to you. I received one from the Post Office as change and I asked for a dollar bill instead. The lady just smiled and said, "Way to go," so she had read this e-mail. Please help out. Our world is in enough trouble without this too!!!!! U.S. Government to release new dollar coins. You guessed it - 'IN GOD WE TRUST' IS GONE!!! If ever there was a reason to boycott something, THIS IS IT!!!! DO NOT ACCEPT THE NEW DOLLAR COINS AS CHANGE Together we can force them out of circulation."

As soon as I read it, I knew that it was wrong. And my knowledge was confirmed because another recipient of the e-mail had already responded with: "Please don't forward garbage like this. This is another untrue urban legend. The new coins do have "In God We Trust" inscribed on them as well as the motto "E Pluribus Unum". It is inscribed around the edge of the coin. You can go to the Urban Legends web site to view the actual details.

Flash in the Hand

05-17-07 In January, I received an e-mail from an employee in Korea who had sent out a mass distribution warning of the hazard of using Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer. Supposedly, an individual had cleaned his hands with the alcohol-based sanitizer, then went outside for a smoke. Because it was windy, he cupped his hands around the cigarette and "flicked his Bic". His hands blazed up and he was seriously injured.

Checking Snopes reveals this is another urban legend. The actual injury is an electrical burn caused when an employee tried to remove a flourescent light ballast without turning off the power. His metal tool touching the bare wire brushed against a metal part of the fixture and burned his hands.

It's Spring and Urban Legends Blossom

04-27-07 In the last two days, after a lengthy hiatus, I received one newsletter and two e-mails containing urban legends. One was from a retiree newsletter (I won't name the source) and two from a family member (I won't say who). The retiree newsletter contained an article about how the key cards given to guests to access their hotel rooms "are routinely encoded with personal information which can be easily harvested by thieves." This is not true, as described at this Snopes page found using Snopes' search with the search phrase "hotel key."

The next urban legend, under the title "Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins," describes how using plastic containers or plastic wrap in the microwave will cause dioxin to seep into food. And placing a plastic water bottle in the freezer will similarly cause dioxin to seep into the water. You can see the truth about this falsehood here.

The final one is not as serious, but there's no reason to clog the internet with urban legends. This one is titled "Comments Made in 1955." It supposedly contains comments made by people in 1955 that came to pass. The problem, as Snopes describes it, is that many of the premises are false. Snopes cites, as an example of the erroneous comparison of prices vs. value "that the televion that cost the average laborer the equivalent of three months' worth of labor back in 1955 might only cost the typical worker the equivalent of one week's pay in 2005." Dollar-for-dollar or penny-for-penny comparisons as cited in this urban legend are invalid because they fail to take into account the cost of living, including wages, between the two periods and the greater value of the significantly improved products available today.

Why add to the internet and mailbox clutter with more junk? Check out one of the links at the top of this page to confirm the validity of the information before passing it along to others.

This Time It's a Debt Scam

04-07-07 A retiree sent me the following e-mail information: "I received an offer from RJM Acquisitions Funding LLC to repay a debt I owed 17 years ago. The debt had been charged off a long time ago. I looked them up on the internet and they are a scam. I am sending you a copy of it. I think this is something retirees should know about." I agree so here it is for you as he requests.

Thanks, John.

Social Security Phishing Scam

11-19-06 The Social Security Administration (SSA) has received numerous reports of fake email messages about a "Cost-of-Living 2007 Update," claiming to have details of a 3.3-percent benefit increase to take place next year.

Fraudsters try to get recipients to visit a fraudulent website that asks them to register for a password by providing a Social Security number and bank account and credit card information.

"Note: We now need you to update your personal information," reads the bogus email. "If this is not completed by Nov. 11, 2006, we will be forced to suspend your account indefinitely."

SSA Commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart said she has asked agency officials to investigate.

"I am outraged that someone would target an unsuspecting public in this manner," she said. "I have asked the inspector general to use all the resources at his command to find and prosecute whoever is perpetrating this fraud."

SSA Inspector General Patrick O'Carroll advised caution in giving out personal information.

"You should never provide your Social Security number or other personal information over the internet or by telephone unless you are extremely confident of the source to whom you are providing the information," he said.

The SSA asked recipients of the fraudulent email to call the inspector general's office at 1-800-269-0271 or to fill out a reporting form on agency's website.
(Note: The above was obtained from SCMagazine.com web site because the Social Security web site has been unreachable since the information was received.)

Hot Stock Issue Spam E-mails

11-19-06 With public e-mail addresses posted on the Internet, the RAO and RSO web sites are attractive targets for spambots that go looking for e-mail addresses that are then assaulted by spam e-mails. One of the recent types of spam appearing in the inboxes are stock offers of "hot new stock issues" that are guaranteed to take off and make you a fortune. So I decided to check it out. The name of the newly-listed company is Cana Petroleum, so what do you suppose their business is? I did a Google search that returned a Google stock listing. After the stock price and recent performance, here is the company description:

Cana Petroleum Inc., formerly Global DataTel, Inc., is an international information system integrator of midrange computer products, networking products, software and services. The Company has three wholly owned or controlled operating subsidiaries in the United States and Colombia. Global DataTel de Colombia, S.A. is a subsidiary consisting of four acquired companies in Colombia. These companies are involved in the computer system integration business. On Line Latin America, S.A. and eHOLA.com, Inc. are in the Internet service business.

Gives the expression "What's in a name?" a whole new meaning. You might think you're investing in a hot new oil stock when in fact you're money is going to an established computer- and Internet-related company in Latin America that decided to change its name in hopes of changing its fortunes. Still want to invest?

Bogus Microsoft E-Mail

4-12-06 The Osan AB RAO received this e-mail (PDF format) that's supposedly from the Microsoft Corporation. However, it's not really; it's another attempt at stealing your identity. If you look at the From line, the e-mail is from "@email.microsoft.com" rather than "@microsoft.com." At the bottom of the first page, the microsoft reference is not linked. On the second page, the web site is shown as www.microsoft.com, but when you roll the mouse pointer over the link in the original message, the actually web site that displays in the status line at the bottom of the display is different than what's shown. That's another good indication that the e-mail is not really from Microsoft. Be careful and don't be suckered into giving up your identity to someone, particularly when you receive unsolicited mail like this.

Clutter

2-15-04 The Osan RAO recently received a printed newsletter from another retiree office. On page 1 of the newsletter was an article entitled "Food for Thought." It quoted a verse from the Quran (or Koran) that started out: "Quran (9:11) for it is written that the son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome eagle." As eager as some people are to believe this, it's not true and can easily be verified at either of the urban legend sites above. Including this type of unverified information in a retiree newsletter takes up space that could be used for more important information that retirees can use. It also reduces the overall credibility of the newsletter. The same applies to e-mails that propagate this type of information. It wastes time, it wastes money and – in the case of e-mails – it wastes bandwidth.

Non-SOFA Vehicle Registration for Retirees

9-27-03 A retiree at Camp Humphreys called to say that retirees with non-SOFA registered vehicles will be denied DD Form 2220 decals allowing them to drive their vehicles onto the installation. A similar restriction was also to go into effect at Yongsan Army Garrison. A check with the United States Forces Korea Provost Marshal Office (USFK PMO) reveals this to be a baseless rumor. There is no change either in effect or planned regarding retiree non-SOFA vehicle registration and access, according to the PMO.

No Cold War Medal

01-26-02 Some medal manufacturers have started producing a Cold War Medal. It appears this was prompted by the Cold War Certificate. However, the U.S. government provides only the Cold War Certificate; it does not produce and has no plan to produce a Cold War Medal. If you want to buy the medal, keep in mind that it is not official and would be inappropriate for display on the uniform with official medals.