When Will People Ever Learn?

Bill Gates of Microsoft is many things to many people but one thing I think it is safe to say he is not is insanely stupid. The reason i say this is because despite all the complaints many people have about Gates and his company's products, we still use them (or are forced to use them) and his company continues to do well despite everyone attempting to make him appear to be a money grubbing fool. So perhaps that's why the scam that is making the rounds on the internet since 1999 continues to perpetuate to this day. What scam? Oh if you've had an e-mail address for more than an hour I'm sure you've received it at least once in your life. It's the e-mail about Bill Gates sharing his fortune. It is usually some example or variation on this message:

• Sent: Friday, September 24, 1999 1:33 PM
  
• Subject: Microsoft and AOL merger.
  
• I am forwarding this because the person who sent it to me is a good friend and does not send me junk. Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet company and in an effort make sure that Internet explorer remains the most widely used program, Microsoft and AOL are running an e-mail beta test. When you forward this e-mail to friends, Microsoft can and will track it (if you are a Microsoft Windows user) for a two week time period. For every person that you forward this e-mail to, Microsoft will pay you $245.00, for every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you $243.00 and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid $241.00. Within two weeks, Microsoft will contact you for your address and then send you a check. I thought this was a scam myself, but two weeks after receiving this e-mail and forwarding it on, Microsoft contacted me for my e-mail and within days, I received a check for $24800.00.
  

There are tons of variations of this message with a variety of different dollar amounts listed. I think it's one of the longest running internet scams that is on the internet. What gets me is that people actually think that this is the real deal. I mean usually there are those little disclaimers at the head of the message with some variation of, "sorry guys but I just had to try" or "this is just too tempting to ignore". Just once I'd like to see someone pass along the truth of why they forwarded this type of message, "I have no desire to earn a fortune so I'll pin false hopes on a supposed e-mail that will magically get tallied and result in me getting a certified check from Microsoft... Yah for my super genius plot!" Somehow I doubt anyone is going to send it. I think most everyone is familiar with this scam but still, it seems to perpetuate itself every so often. There are times when I miss getting the mail. I feel that perhaps it has finally died out and then all of a sudden, it's back!

There are tons of others out there on the internet but usually they aren't as successful since they don't incorporate someone as well known as Gates. I mean Vijay Mallya is probably one of the other most extravagantly rich and flamboyant men out there but if you send that to the most common of persons outside of India they will probably send the mail to the deleted folder faster than a woman at a shoe sale. I just don't get why people want to believe it. And not just believe it once, but multiple times. Back in 1999 I remember receiving this mail but even back then I explored the net to find out what I could about this supposed e-mail program. Not so much from wanting to verify that it was true but to see if Gates was actually tracking our mails. If that wasn't a variation on Big Brother from Orwell's "1984" then I don't know what would be. Now nearly ten years later it seems that the myth continues and shows no sign of abating. I'm sure generations from now, the legend of Bill Gates and his mythical fortune sharing plot will still be circulating. Hopefully by then most (if not all) of us will have wised up a bit.