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It so happens that I just got one of those emails. The title of the email says “Are Leftover Onions Poisonous?” Now what do I do? Do I forward it to my friends and ask for their opinions? And appear stupid if it turned out to be a hoax?
Truth or lie?
Nah, I’ll just ask Big G - which you all know as Google – and search using these parameters:
“urban legend Leftover Onions Poisonous” (keyed in the search box without the apostrophes) OR
“urban myth Leftover Onions Poisonous”

*If you keyed in the above without “urban legend/myth”, you will find many who received the same email and who are now wise (or so they think!) are warning their dear friends/readers of their doom bringing habit.
And If you have time to kill, they are pretty interesting read.
If you did the search above to check out the results, then you will see that according to Google’s results, this is a HOAX; and you will find that many has written about this in the past.
Explanation:
You can search using the “urban legend/myth” parameters above because, in the internet, a hoax (in email, esp) is known as URBAN LEGEND/MYTH! There are also lesser known terms but these 2 are the most important.
There is many a website whose sole existence is to keep track of these things because these emails bugged the hell out of a lot of people too.
Conclusion:
I have suspected it but now it’s confirmed 100%! So the guy who forwarded this was either a postman or courier for DHL. That’s why he didn’t check the message before resending it to lots of his friends. Oh but then again he can’t, he was NOT ALLOWED to do it in his previous job.
But, YOU, my dear reader, is more savvy than that. You know that emails that
-ask to be forwarded to as many people as possible (esp when they are religious in nature)
-will cause you untold misery if you don’t forward them; but will bring you luck if you do
(I am pretty sure of this cause NONE of my family members died since I started discarding Chain letters)
-didn’t pass my built-in common-sense filter (like this one)
are the FIRST emails you discard.
NEVER send them to your friends if you don’t want them recommending you for vacancies at POS Malaysia. This habit of deleting emails alone, practiced often, will make you appear more internet savvy among your friends!
increase your mpg
May 4th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
It is really very informative post & please keep sharing such type of informative posts.
G Web
May 4th, 2010 at 10:42 pm
The urban legend emails are one thing, but the scamsters are another. During the past week I’ve won several lotteries, and at least two people affiliated to deposed african dictators have offered to give me a tidy percentage if they could use my bank account to launder several million dollars for them…..the list grows on, LOL.
sell your textbooks
May 5th, 2010 at 12:16 am
I get these things all the time, I especially hate it when my mom forwards this stuff. I keep telling her but to know avail.
Laptop Briefcase
May 5th, 2010 at 4:31 am
Good trick of adding ‘urban myth’ to your search. Sometimes to find what you want you really need to know which extra words to add to your search. I can’t remember the last time I actually forwarded a chain e-mail. Since I receive so much spam, I know how annoying extra e-mails can be.
aggelies
May 5th, 2010 at 4:32 am
What you won the lottery too!? I don’t believe you!
People are getting more suspicious with all the stuff that comes in their inbox
mobile phone
May 5th, 2010 at 7:42 am
I’ve pretty much given up on forwarding emails to friends even if they are proven. It just takes too much time.
Komodo Dragon
May 5th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
This is one of my big pet peeves when relatives forward these junk emails
My mom has also gotten into it, and I keep telling her its spam, but she doesn’t believe it =(
used tires
May 5th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Yea, it’s such a pain to make relatives understand what they really are. I even block them out of frustration sometimes.
Till then,
Jean
mobile phone
May 6th, 2010 at 1:37 am
haha…blocking mom. I don’t think that would go over to well at Sunday dinners.
Laptop Briefcase
May 6th, 2010 at 2:31 am
I guess all of these hoaxes and chain letters live on due to the fact that there are still lots of inexperienced internet users. They still willing forward these things on without realizing what they’re doing.
Local Internet Marketing
May 6th, 2010 at 3:30 am
It’s pretty amazing what’s out there to be found… if people would just take a minute to do the search. Then again I have a feeling the average internet user is really horrible at effective searching, so all the more reason for posts like these!
One thing I have to frequently keep in mind is when I’m looking for something new, if I find myself pausing to think of how I should phrase it, (like I’m going to ‘game’ Google to get the best result) usually the best thing is just to type my completely random, long, specific phrase into Google, and more often than not it brings me what I want. This is what Google was made for! We just need to get out of the way and let it do its job.
If you can’t tell I love to get into search technique. Awesome post, this is a tip I’ve used successfully a number of times. I never want to be the premature-forwarding guy.
-Eric
G Web
May 6th, 2010 at 4:41 am
@Komodo Dragon, aren’t parents just the worst! They are such internet innocents that the stuff they forward is just tooooo much sometimes! I can relate, thankfully my mom hasn’t discovered facebook…..yet!
mobile phone
May 6th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
mom + facebook = disaster waiting to happen
Adino
May 7th, 2010 at 10:30 am
Mostly I ignore such emails, but if the email start to give some dangerous advice, then I will reply back with a link to the urban legend website.
used tires
May 7th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
mobile phone, you can always cite other technical reasons if she asks you.
Till then,
Jean
Program
May 9th, 2010 at 6:46 am
I get these things all the time, I especially hate it when my mom forwards this stuff. I keep telling her but to know avail.
Berg
May 10th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
The thing is even after you send the sender the link that explains that its a hoax, some of them would rather believe the hoax on the pretext that its better to be safe than sorry.
monkey99
May 11th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Chain letters and hoaxes have been around since before the time of the internet. I can remember when I first received one, I meekly sent to 20 (I think) people as requested. Don’t remember whether I was hoping for the change of luck or whether I was afraid of being cursed for all eternity.
We all grow up through exposure to all these stuff, I guess!
Urban Myths Legends
May 11th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
[...] Urban-Myths-Legends.org Related weblogs Having it all: reality or urban myth? « 2under3 Urban legends – how to tell whether an email is a hoax … Composting urban myths American anti-nuclear power activists – barack obama – myths … Facts [...]
Data Analysis
May 11th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
I used to get a lot of this junk. Everyone I know has been told not to send me this stuff.
As for spam, there are an amazing number of young ladies keen to get in touch these days. Many more than when I was actually available!
Data Analysis
May 11th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
http://www.snopes.com/ is a great place to check out this type of stuff. Gives you a history of the myth and the grain of truth, if there is one.
Laptop Briefcase
May 12th, 2010 at 1:18 am
Good find Data Analysis. Websites like that should help clear the air about urban legends like these. The problem is that the people forwarding these messages are not good enough at using the internet to find sites like that.
Komodo Dragon
May 12th, 2010 at 2:41 am
@Data Analysis, that is great for sure as Laptop has said… But to throw a wrench into it… how can we trust that the website will be 100% reliable?
But then again… it is the internet so… yeah…
Keith
May 14th, 2010 at 1:31 am
I still can’t believe how many people still fall for emails like that. I mean if it weren’t working anymore, people would stop using these methods.
Wealth Masters International
May 14th, 2010 at 10:05 am
I also use the word “hoax” in my search term since in most cases that word is used by those sites that made a review about those urban legends..
Wealth Masters International
May 14th, 2010 at 10:08 am
and just a rejoinder, when internet was not yet around (my age hehe), chain letters were sent through couriers and once I mailed around 30 letters just because the chain letter said so… but still no luck arrived… lol.. those were the days
Laptop Briefcase
May 15th, 2010 at 2:21 am
I couldn’t imagine doing something like this and having to pay for stamps. I guess the price of stamps is a big reason that chain letters didn’t get really big until the internet got popular. I agree that ‘hoax’ is another good search term to use to investigate potential urban legends.
monkey99
May 15th, 2010 at 9:56 am
@Wealth Masters International, Laptop Briefcase:
Imagine some poor school girl in the past (70s?) who had just managed to send out the last of 20 of those letters. Then a new chain mail arrive, and another, and another…
Brandon's Marketing
May 17th, 2010 at 10:33 am
Wow, I actually find it really easy to spot a junk mail and can usually do so in a half second while I constantly hit the delete button going down the list. I used to research them back in the day but when you do everything via email, you turn into a pro.
Program
May 23rd, 2010 at 10:11 pm
I’ve pretty much given up on forwarding emails to friends even if they are proven. It just takes too much time.
Data Analysis
May 24th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
It takes too much time at both ends. It would have to be really special to be worth researching and also to not waste the other’s time to receive it.
I try to discourage all mails like this, frankly.
Sony Laptop Computers
June 4th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
You know that is never something I thought about doing and I get a lot of those types of emails. I think if I did that though, I would never get anything done around here.
Porno
June 9th, 2010 at 5:46 am
useful informations.. thanks a lot.
turk porno
June 11th, 2010 at 3:34 am
I get these things all the time, I especially hate it when my mom forwards this stuff. I keep telling her but to no avail
carlsonfishoil
June 20th, 2010 at 3:24 am
This is much better than spam.You wont believe it,I got an email which promised me that I could make $100 everyday through data entry jobs,i just joined the network and found out that it was total scam.They wont refund and i ended up losing $97.
Mark Nasri
June 29th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
Usually is SPAM.
Uzi
July 21st, 2010 at 1:36 pm
I really can’t believe how silly people are when they believe in those emails and forward it to friends.
Computer Tips Tricks
August 6th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
From what I’ve experienced myself, 10 out of 10 “you won something” emails are SPAM. However, good tip there using “urbun myth” to your search.
Scabies Natural
August 24th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
I get like a lot of spam and scam guys send me email that I am the lucky one and won milllllions of dollars
You can tell it is hoax and paste some lines to google and see and so on
Also look for email addresses and names and companies, no company sends email from yahoo or so
LOL
lookup email
October 3rd, 2010 at 5:52 am
Most of the times its really easy to tell if an email is a hoax. Usually when you read something that’s too good to be true, its a hoax…
VentSmart dryer vent cleaner
January 15th, 2011 at 7:31 am
It is easy to tell if you’re familiar, for an older generation I’ll be forwarding this on lol
mba dissertations
January 27th, 2011 at 7:49 pm
Its really a pity on those who fall prey to such emails. If they have never heard of such hoax before, their chances to fall for such emails becomes high..
Nespresso D290
August 10th, 2011 at 1:31 pm
I have so many emails these days that I don’t even open them unless I can tell they are personal. The things that people think of to email about??
Grant and Scholarship
August 30th, 2011 at 10:49 pm
i always getting suspicious with something weird comes to my inbox. X_X
zesty updates
September 28th, 2011 at 9:26 pm
I hate spammers..
Internet Marketing 101
January 21st, 2012 at 9:58 am
usually I just search a portion of the email using quotes. if it is a hoax, 99% brother G will give you a list of scam complains from others.