Your new BFF in Nigeria AND info on the candidates!

By CJP | October 13, 2008

  

We’ve all gotten the emails that Mr. Ngoutu in Nigeria has our winnings from the lottery and just needs our bank account number to deposit the cash.  We’ve also all gotten the emails that Barack Obama used the Koran to be sworn into the Senate instead of a bible, or that Sarah Palin had books banned in Wasilla while she was the mayor.  Nobody believes the Nigerian lottery story, but why do political emails have so much traction on the web?

Several Janes have written in over the last week or so asking for guidance on the veracity of one chain email or another.  Here’s the best advice we’ve got, based on our own experience:  If it’s in your inbox, delete it.  It’s probably not true.  

But don’t take our word for it.  Head on over to PolitiFact, one of our favorite fact-checking sites on the web, where their team of research nerds has kicked the tires on the 39 most prevalent rumors swirling on the web today.  They’ll tell you which rumors are true (not many), which ones are false (most of them), and which ones just have their pants on fire (all the rest).   

The truth will set you free, gals, but it’s probably not waiting to be read in your inbox.

Topics: Fact Check

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