Forwarding ‘harmless’ looking emails can also be the trigger of a ‘Denial of Service Attack’, which can effectively make mail servers and web sites crash. This page explains how it works: http://community.tigranetworks.co.uk/blogs/tigranetworks/archive/2008/01/11/why-you-shouldn-t-forward-chain-email.aspx

Then, people might stop sending chainletters because they dont want spammers and it will all end.

Trust me. After a few times, you’ll get taken off the ‘list’

Another solution is to set up a “rule” in Outlook (not sure about other email handlers) that rejects any email with the word “fwd:” in the subject line. It will automatically return the email to the sender with a note you set up.

My note says something to the effect of ” This address does not accept forwarded email. Please remove me from all group lists you use to forward emails. This note is automatically generated, so please don’t take it personally.”

This way they get the point without being hurt.

Yes you are my Friend, my Sister my Angel

Yes I love those Pass it on and fill in the blank Emails

Yes I support your causes

Yes I laugh at all the funny pictures you send

Yes I want to make money by forwarding those Bill Gates emails

However…

I now receive over 300 spam emails per day and some of them are pornographic. I know you didn’t mean for it to happen but, I am no longer responding so…

Call me if you love me

Call me if you are my friend, my sister, my angel

Mail me those pass it ons

Call me for a donation to your causes

Send me funny pictures in a personal email

Send me a Lotto ticket if you want me to get rich…I will split it with you

Pass this on to all …one by one if you have the time..I don’t so, you are all getting this in a group email which will most likely have the same effect as the ones you have sent me over time and take me OFF YOUR LISTS

Love and kisses, Your name here

I imagine the first chain letters stuck in the ‘do this or ‘ blah, blah so their insight, their secret solution, their humor, would be passed on. A social form of viral marketing, abusive style. I won’t forward one.

And I consider sending something like that to be cruel to the receiver. You have just attempted to bully someone, that must now decide to risk their soul, their firstborn, or their job by *believing* the thing is nonsense, instead of trusting the sender to be respectful. I see all kinds of spiritual harm being done.

The reason the Post Office cared, was because the thing is a pyramid scheme. One letter becomes 10, becomes 100, etc. The bulk of the things, and the increased ability to embed scams and fraud schemes, made much work for letter carriers and their investigators. And harmed innocent people. The same thing happens with chain emails. People have to at least examine the title and sender to decide if they want to open the thing, then read it. Multiply by 20, 400, and 8000 and this adds to a significant waste of time and of server space and Internet backbone transfer bandwidth. And, as you say, there is the window of opportunity for anyone from the author onward to add a virus – or anyone with an infected computer to unknowingly harvest email addresses for spammers or add their infection to the ongoing chain email.