10. The ATM Reverse-PIN Trick
The most-forwarded Net rumor during the final months of 2006 purported to offer a tidbit of esoteric knowledge about the workings of ATMs, namely that there is a hidden safety feature whereby users can quietly alert police of an attempted robbery by entering their PIN (personal identification number) backwards. Let's hope no one has tried it. The reverse-PIN system does exist on paper and its inventor claims it would reduce crime with widespread use, but the technology has yet to be implemented anywhere in the real world.
9. The Brown Recluse Spider Bite
Topping the "Gross & Disgusting" category this past year was a set of images purporting to document the progressive deterioration of a wound caused by the bite of the poisonous brown recluse spider. The unretouched images do depict symptoms consistent with a severe case of arachnid poisoning, but they could also be associated with gangrene or necrotizing fasciitis. Not for the squeamish!
8. Crikey, Steve Irwin's Really Dead!
An urban legend came true on September 4, 2006 when Steve Irwin, TV's famed "Crocodile Hunter," died after suffering a stingray attack while shooting an underwater documentary off the Great Barrier Reef. Having made a career of putting himself in harm's way by getting up close and personal with a variety of dangerous wild animals, Irwin was no doubt accustomed to hearing premature reports of his own death. So were we. Unfortunately, this time it was for real.
7. The (Ongoing) Attack of the Camel Spiders
The ever-popular Middle Eastern "camel spider" returns to the Top 10 this year after being bumped in 2005 by rumors circulating in the wake of the tsunami in Asia and Hurricane Katrina. It's not the close-up image of the pair of fist-sized, khaki-colored critters that arachnid experts take issue with; it's the exaggerated claims concerning the species' predatory prowess. "With a vertical leap that would make a pro basketball player weep with envy," the caption reads, "these bastards latch on and inject you with a local anesthesia so you can't feel it feeding on you. They eat flesh, not just suck out your juices like a normal spider." Uh-huh.
6. World Record Grizzly Bear
Look here for authentic photos of one of the biggest bears you'll ever see, but don't believe the tall tales accompanying them. Weighing in at a not-quite-world-record 1,000 to 1,200 pounds, the Alaskan brown bear bagged by off-duty airman Ted Winnen was undoubtedly ferocious, but not a man-eater, contrary to email reports. An additional image purporting to show the remains of one of the bear's human victims was unrelated and attached after the fact. View at your own risk.
5. Mr. Rogers, Trained Assassin?
Believe it or not, some folks are convinced that the gentle, soft-spoken children's TV host Mr. Rogers hid a secret past as a trained sniper for the Marines (or Navy Seals) — nevermind that he spent his whole life in broadcasting, studying to become an ordained minister on the side. Nothing in Fred McFeely Rogers' biography suggests he ever entered military service, let alone underwent training as an assassin. Hard as it may be for cynics to accept, Mr. Rogers was exactly who he seemed.
4. Ashley Flores Is Missing
It all started as a little prank on MySpace.com, say Ashley Flores' friends. But once they'd launched a bogus rumor to the effect that the Philadelphia teen had been kidnapped and was still missing, they were at a loss as to how to stop it. Half-a-year later, it remained one of the most-circulated hoaxes on the Internet in 2006.
3. Bill Gates Is Sharing His Fortune...with YOU!
This logic-defying email hoax is now eight years old and still going strong. As originally composed, the purported message from Microsoft founder Bill Gates promised $1,000 to each and every person who helped him beta test his new "email tracking software" by forwarding the missive to everyone they know. Subsequent versions included phony news reports about mergers taking place between AOL, Microsoft, and chip manufacturer Intel. Do I need to add that not a word of any of this is true?
2. Breast Infestation
The image is bizarre, allegedly depicting the symptoms of what began as a "breast rash," then developed into a full-blown infestation of larvae with tiny worm-like creatures peeking out of gaping crevices in the patient's skin. "Ladies, please wash all bras and underwear before wearing them," warns the cautionary e-tale accompanying the photo. It's largely hogwash, of course, but the surprising grain of truth is that there is, in fact, a medical condition known as furuncular myiasis of the breast — basically, an infestation of fly larvae in the living tissue!
1. Quick! Add Your Cell Phone to the 'Do Not Call' Registry!
As I noted two years ago when our current top-circulating Net rumor first took off, the only thing Americans hate more than unsolicited phone calls from telemarketers is the prospect of receiving them on their cell phones. Sparked by announced plans to compile a universal 411 directory of private numbers — an idea that still has yet to get off the ground, and may never do so — this email alert urging recipients to add their mobile phone information to the National Do Not Call Registry before it's too late hasn't lost an ounce of steam since it went into circulation in 2004.
