Tracking emails for charity - is it possible? A scam?

[RichKid]

Some of us would have recieved emails which are supposed to be for good causes- you forward it to others and some big sponsor will donate a few cents per email forwarded to a worthy cause. For example:

.....Sadly we don't have the money for the operation. AOL and Zdnet have agreed to help us. The only way they can help is this:
If you send this email to other people, AOL will track this email and count how many people get it. Every person that opens this email and sends it to at least 3 people will give us 32c. Please help us.....

I've seen ones where they say you'll receive money from Bill Gates for advertising microsoft's brand if you forward certain emails etc. Didn't believe it though, besides they'd need your personal details to send you the money.

My view is that this type of tracking is a not possible, can an IT or email expert confirm this please?

Thanks!

 

[macca]

Yes RK,

They are always good for a laugh aren't they

If the idiots that believe them took the trouble to calculate the compounding effect of 5 people sending it to 5, then 25 to 5 etc etc, it works out at a kazillion dollars in a month.

Can't really imagine AOL or Microsoft saying to some sick kid, here you go, you now own the company

 

[silence]

It's not real.
The email addresses eventually make their way back to the original person by people forwarding the emails - harvesting them for Nigerian scams, spam, whatever.

They have been going around the internet for as long as I've been using it (6 years+ ) and I don't see anyone saying 'but I really did get a cheque for a million dollars from Bill Gates himself!!!!

Just like any other scam, it just seems innocent at the time because 'nothing bad can happen' by forwarding an email, can it?

 

[TraderPro]

Its a scam!

To check the validity of these claims this is a great website to have a look at:
http://www.snopes.com/

full of debunked urban legends

 

[The Mint Man]

along the same lines,
has anyone got those ones that are from a 'child of a king' (or similar) saying that they want to get out of the country and they will give you X$ if you help them??
I have had a few of these, I wonder how many people fall for it