Internet Explorer Hoax Brings To Mind Other Memorable Internet Hoaxes

This hoax started in the late 90s, and is still floating around today in some form or another. Basically, it says Bill Gates is testing a new E-mail tracking program and that by sending a chain letter to all your buddies, you'll get paid money depending on how many people you send it to. It's totally bogus, but seeing as how this little hoax is still around today, I guess some people are still waiting for their checks from Bill Gates to arrive.

Remember this 1999 movie? Everyone was freaked out by it, because everyone thought it was real. Well, now we know better. The movie was a work of fiction, even though it was advertised as actual footage from a group of kids who disappeared in the woods. It's still a creepy movie, though...

The younger set will probably remember this young lady who became almost an instant celebrity on YouTube in 2006. What started as a normal teenager complaining about her family life took an unexpected turn when she started talking about the bizzare cult her "family" was involved in. Well, as it turns out, the videos were scripted and Lonelygirl15 was really an actress. Pretty convincing act.

This April Fool's prank in 2006 cause quite a stir across the pond in the UK. A prop-maker claimed to have found the corpse of a fairy and put it up for sale on eBay and on his website. It was really just a very well-made prop, but plenty of people thought it was real, like the 20,000 people who visited his site within hours of posting the fairy picture. And even when the prop-maker admitted it was just a prank, people still believe the fairy was real and that he was just trying to cover it up. It's amazing how resistant some people are to the truth, isn't it?

This one started in 2004, and I still see it here and there, much to my dismay. The hoax here involves another chain of E-mails, which includes a photo of what looks like soldiers holding up a giant camel spider, along with some info on the camel spider. Now this one wasn't entirely false, but because of the angle that the photo was taken, the spider looked much bigger than it actually is. So why am I dismayed when I see the picture? ....well...I'm terrified of spiders. And that's no lie.