h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The favourite e-mail chain letter round our way is the one that goes something like:

"IF ANYONE CALLS AND ASKS YOU TO DIAL *90# THEN DON'T WHATEVER YOU DO OTHERWISE THEY GET FREE INTERNATIONAL CALLS FOREVER AND THIS HAS BEEN CHECKED BY THE POLICE AND EVERYTHING IT'S COMPLETELY TRUE SO DON'T YOU DARE" etc.

And it always ends "FORWARD THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW", so that the few people who don't recognise this for being complete rubbish, and don't even try it for themselves, forward it to as many other people as they possibly can, trying to be helpful.

qv virus e-mail chain letters

Actually, the technical bit this one mentions is true. Sort of - on landline phones, in the USA, in buildings where you have to dial something before the number to dial out of the building, in September in the rain. Or in other words, under certain (rare) circumstances. My guess is that the chain letter was started by someone who got burned by it and doesn't have enough brains to not start chan letters.