How to Get People to Stop Sending You Chain Letters
Tell the sender you aren’t interested., Let them know that the letters are fake., Help the senders recognize scam emails., Ask them to use BCC.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Tell the sender you aren’t interested.
A polite request is always a good place to start.
Try one of these responses: "Hi John, I only use this account for work.
Could you take me off this list?" "Hello Rosemary, I'm not a big fan of chain letters.
I'd much rather talk to you in person sometime soon!" "Unfortunately, I never forward these chain letters, so they give me terrible curses.
Please don't send me another or all my teeth will fall out. :)" -
Step 2: Let them know that the letters are fake.
Most chain letters prey on people's feelings with heart-wrenching stories, or with paranoid instructions about politics or social media privacy.
Search for proof that the story is fake on sites like Snopes or Hoax-Slayer and send it back to your contact with a polite message like "Hey, it turns out this isn't real.
This site is a good place to check before sending." If they continue to send you fake stories, say "This is another hoax.
Please don't send me any more."
People who are not used to technology may fall for malicious chain emails that try to steal personal information or spread computer viruses.
If someone is forwarding you these scams, warn them of the danger:
Help them block spam or switch to an email provider with better spam detection.
Warn them never to open an attachment from a sender they don't recognize, or to give any personal information.The safest response is to delete the message without replying.
If they fall for emails that promise money for forwarding, teach them to recognize a pyramid scheme. , If you are plagued with long "reply all" conversations, ask the person who starts them to us the private "BCC" field instead of the public "CC" or "To:" fields.
You'll still receive the original email, but you can quickly delete it and avoid the next two hundred notifications. -
Step 3: Help the senders recognize scam emails.
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Step 4: Ask them to use BCC.
Detailed Guide
A polite request is always a good place to start.
Try one of these responses: "Hi John, I only use this account for work.
Could you take me off this list?" "Hello Rosemary, I'm not a big fan of chain letters.
I'd much rather talk to you in person sometime soon!" "Unfortunately, I never forward these chain letters, so they give me terrible curses.
Please don't send me another or all my teeth will fall out. :)"
Most chain letters prey on people's feelings with heart-wrenching stories, or with paranoid instructions about politics or social media privacy.
Search for proof that the story is fake on sites like Snopes or Hoax-Slayer and send it back to your contact with a polite message like "Hey, it turns out this isn't real.
This site is a good place to check before sending." If they continue to send you fake stories, say "This is another hoax.
Please don't send me any more."
People who are not used to technology may fall for malicious chain emails that try to steal personal information or spread computer viruses.
If someone is forwarding you these scams, warn them of the danger:
Help them block spam or switch to an email provider with better spam detection.
Warn them never to open an attachment from a sender they don't recognize, or to give any personal information.The safest response is to delete the message without replying.
If they fall for emails that promise money for forwarding, teach them to recognize a pyramid scheme. , If you are plagued with long "reply all" conversations, ask the person who starts them to us the private "BCC" field instead of the public "CC" or "To:" fields.
You'll still receive the original email, but you can quickly delete it and avoid the next two hundred notifications.
About the Author
Sarah Cole
Committed to making pet care accessible and understandable for everyone.
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