First Recorded Hoax

Archaeologists at the British Museum have just finished decoding a
clay tablet from the 13th century BC.
After believing they had discovered the first recorded hoax
warning it turns out that this isn't so

----Forwarded Message(s)----

FROM: laocoon@doomgloom.edu
TO: all
SUBJECT: Greeks bearing gifts

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! IF YOU RECEIVE A GIFT IN THE SHAPE OF
A LARGE WOODEN HORSE DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT!!!! It is EXTREMELY
DESTRUCTIVE and will overwrite your ENTIRE CITY!

The "gift" is disguised as a large wooden horse about two stories
tall. It tends to show up outside the city gates and appears to
be abandoned.

DO NOT let it through the gates! It contains hardware that is
incompatible with Trojan programming, including a crowd of
heavily armed Greek warriors that will destroy your army, sack
your town, and kill your women and children. If you have already
received such a gift, DO NOT OPEN IT! Take it back out of the
city unopened and set fire to it by the beach.
FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

Poseidon


----- FROM: hector@studmuffin.com
TO: laocoon@doomgloom.edu
RE: Greeks bearing gifts

Laocoon,
I hate to break to you, but this is one of the oldest hoaxes
there is. I've seen variants on this warning come through on
other listservs, one involving some kind of fruit that was
supposed to kill the people who ate it and one having to do with
something called the "Midas Touch."

Here are a few tip offs that this is a hoax:

1) This "Forward this message to everyone you know" crap. If it
were really meant as a warning about the Greek army, why tell
anyone to post it to the Phonecians, Sumerians, and Cretans?

2) Use of exclamation points. Always a giveaway.

3) It's signed "from Poseidon." Granted he's had his problems
with Odysseus but he's one of their guys, isn't he? Besides, the
lack of a real header with a detailed address makes me
suspicious.

4) Technically speaking, there is no way for a horse to overwrite
your entire city. A horse is just an animal, after all.

Next time you get a message like this, just delete it. I
appreciate your concern, but once you've been around the block a
couple times you'll realize how annoying this kind of stuff is.
Bye now,

Hector

----End Forwarded Message(s)----
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