How can I gently explain to non-techie friends they are the victim of a hoax?
Problem
We all have them. On Facebook, Twitter, even in email. That friend (or friends) that rebroadcast every hoax from abandoned puppies, abducted little girls or whichever political outrage email is currently en vogue. How can I educate my friend(s) who continue to do this and keep them as friends? If it only happened once or twice, I am sure I could just point out the appropriate page on Snopes.com or similar. I am specifically referring to serial offenders that actually think they are providing a service to the world.
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Fix for: How can I gently explain to non-techie friends they are the victim of a hoax?
When it comes to hoaxes and non-techie users, being gentle is really the wrong tactic. It's only a matter of time before they fall for something that actually harms them, by stealing their information, or something else. They need to learn, and quickly. Personally I reply all with a link to snopes or elsewhere, explaining that it's a hoax. Then I include this line: "Every email that asks you to forward to all your friends is a hoax, or a joke by somebody that just wants to clog people's email."
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