How best to deal with people who keep sending you stupid chain emails

[jmo21]

I usually reply:

unsubscribe

[Platypus]

I used to get loads of these of a former colleague and friend who I thought was otherwise quite normal. I tried just replying to her telling her they were nonsense (the hoax ones) but that didn't work, so when she sent one, I did a reply all (the list included members of her family and friends) listing when it was so daft with links to snopes etc

She never sent me any more, but she is still talking to me.

Good plan. I do this, not to stop people sending my bollix like this, but as a sort of public service telling people they don't need to worry about their PC exploding. Or if they read between the lines, not to be such daft twats. I've not noticed before, until PSB mentioned it, but I get fewer of these than I used to.

[2BIT]

you could say 'I think your email account has been hacked as I keep getting spam off of you', when they say what spam explain and when they say they sent it themselves just laugh and say 'woops, oh ok' - if they have any humanity they will not send you anymore

it may be too subtle for some though

[Platypus]

I keep getting spam off of you'

"off of" ...... "off of" ........ ?????

Try "from"

everyone is stupid some of the time - trad.

Ah, ok !

[VectraMan]

Back in university I was banned from using email for forwarding a chain email. Which I thought was a little harsh.

[teclo]

I usually reply with a link to snopes and an email that calls them a moron for forwarding emails like this on.

Works for me..

[NotAllThere]

"Please stop sending me this stuff. I'm not interested".

works for me.

[2BIT]

"off of" ...... "off of" ........ ?????

Try "from"



Ah, ok !

so you are a grammar nazi - have a banana

[Sysman]

Or... tell them those types of email are full of nasty viruses, and the act of opening them is bad enough - but actually forwarding them results in all sorts of <made up> scary gubbins. Add "Trust me, I know about these things" and wink.

WRHS.

Better yet, don't make it up. Instead add in plenty of references to authoritative web sites debunking this type of message.

If they sent the email to a whole bunch of people, do hit Reply to All. This is particularly effective when they've sent this crap to all their friends or the entire company.