Tragedy Triggers Tall Tales

Have you received the breathless--and bogus--e-mail message touting the "last photo from atop the World Trade Center"? The shot shows an apparent tourist on the World Trade Center's observation tower. Behind him is the New York skyline with an American Airlines jet about 100 yards away in the background. The accompanying caption reads: "This photo was developed from a camera found at the bottom of the rubble by the FBI and released by them in order to learn who the tourist is."

Fascinating story, no doubt. Downright chilling, in fact. It's just one of many e-mail messages flooding inboxes with intriguing, even bizarre tales related to the September 11 tragedy. And most of them simply aren't true.

Unfortunately, some messages sound so good that some correspondents--even jaded journalists--almost fall for a few. So here are some of the more prolific myths, hoaxes, and frauds, and suggestions for distinguishing them from the truth.

Last Photos From the Top?

The bogus photo from the World Trade Center Tower looks real at first glance. But, among other things, the observation deck has a simple guardrail--there's no glass or other enclosure. The plane is approaching from the wrong direction, and it isn't the type of plane that actually crashed into the tower.

Take a look at the picture with an enlarged insert of the plane. Then look again at a closeup of the plane showing how the author doctored it. Check the way the black coloring was applied to the engines.

More details (and the original shot) are available at the Urban Legends site, the source of much myth-busting information.

WingDings and Nostradamus

The folks at Urban Legends pop a few other trial balloons about the recent tragedy, but that hasn't stopped the rumors from spreading.

Another e-mail making the rounds suggests that you type "NY33Q" into your word processor. It's allegedly the aircraft number on the plane that crashed in Somerset, Pennsylvania.

When you highlight that text and then select the font "WingDings," you see a startling series of icons--two buildings, an airplane, skull and crossbones, and others. Sorry, conspiracy theorists--it's not true. The reason: "NY33Q" isn't the flight's call sign. The WingDings "translation" appeared in much earlier versions of Word, too. But it's not proof of Microsoft's prescience.

Speaking of forecasts, did Nostradamus predict the World Trade Center attack? Another rumor declares that this was his cryptic message when in 1654 he said, "In the city of God there will be a great thunder, two brothers torn apart by chaos, while the fortress endures, the great leader will succumb, the third big war will begin when the big city is burning."

Not likely. Among other things, Nostradamus died in 1566. Albeit intriguing, the tale is another hoax.

In fact, in 1542, Nostradamus also said:

Le mot divin sera frappé du nord, un qui ne peut pas procéder promouvoir: À mi-chemin repoussé par des codes inconnus, stoppera soudainement le grand monarque.

Loosely translated, it says:

The divine word will be struck from the north, One who cannot proceed any further: Halfway repelled by unknown codes, Will suddenly halt the great monarch.

The meaning? Perhaps Microsoft will fall (at the hand of Canadian neighbor Corel?), Word won't be upgraded, and all versions of Windows will be replaced with Linux (or perhaps OS/2).

Eleven and Other Conspiracies

Numerology provides a way to see significant numbers relating to anything, including the September 11 terrorist attack (and most tax returns). The date of the attack, for instance, is 9/11. Add 9 + 1 + 1 and you get 11. The 254th day of the year is 9/11. Add 2 + 5 + 4 and there it is again--11.

The myth-busting problem with this "revelation" is that you can do the math in a different way and make "2" the special number. Check out the Urban Myth page to find out how it's done.

Do you like your conspiracies rich with paranoia? Cool, because the skolnicksreport.com site fits the bill.

Sherman H. Skolnick states "the Clinton White House, with prior knowledge, allowed the Oklahoma bombings to occur" and "As the CIA top officials were informed and had prior knowledge, the purpose of the "terrorist" attacks was to effectively paralyze the financial infrastructure of the U.S."

Actually, the site is fascinating. Skolnick weaves a thread so complex that he may be able to sell it to David Lynch for a new Twin Peaks series: "Washington Convoluted." Read a few of his articles and decide for yourself.

Hoax Protection

Here's how to guard against falling for a hoax (and worse, forwarding it to savvier friends who'll never let you forget it).

• You might receive similar or even duplicate messages. Your best bet is to suspect it's a hoax until otherwise proven true.
  
  
• Some sites mention an authority, such as the FBI in the tourist photo example. Check the referenced site for proof.
  
  
• If you have a sense that the message or image is too far-fetched or fantastic sounding, reference either of these two terrific sites to check whether it's bogus. The Snopes Rumor of War page is a very comprehensive and popular site. The other place to visit is About.com's Urban Legend site.
  
  
• As a corollary to the myths and misguided messages you may receive about this incident, consider checking before you contribute money to sites claiming to help victims of the disaster. PC World researched the scams and recommends legitimate resources in "Beware of Online Scams for Disaster-Relief Funds."
  
  
• Remember, just because it's on the Internet doesn't mean it's true. Or that it's not!