Burn Victim, Alexandra of Poland E-Mail a Hoax!

I mentioned in my previous blog that my detective mind could not put this matter to rest. Well, I did some digging on the Net and found an interesting website http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_ola_kuczma.htm that talks about E-mail hoaxes and chain letters.

The Alexandra E-mail is a hoax based on a real life tragedy and has been around since 2005.

There was really a house fire in June 2005 in southern Poland that destroyed the home of Peter and Anna Kuczma that left their 14-month-old daughter, Aleksandra ("Alexandra" or "Olenka" or "Ola") Kuczma seriously burned and fighting for her life in a hospital burn ward.

There was media coverage about this incident, please refer to http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_ola_kuczma.htm for more information. Unfortunately some of the articles are in Polish. According to David Emery of Urban Ledgends and Folklore, Ola is on the road to recovery but will require more surgery, and her parents have requested help from the public to meet the medical expenses.

If the story is true, why is it a hoax? According to David Emery, the E-mail is a hoax because of the false claim that for every time it is forwarded, Ola Kuczma's parents will receive 3 cents. He says that it is impossible, as the technology does not exist to do this type of thing.

This is not the only E-mail that is doing the rounds. So next time you receive one of these E-mails, don't feel bad when you click "delete". If you are unsure, just do a search on the Net or visit the site in this article.

That raises another question. What kind of person would start such an E-mail? Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Love & Light

Victoria

Forward E-mails to Assist Sick Children - Are they for real?

Burn Victim Alexandra of Poland

I received an E-mail this morning (attached below my message) that asked me to forward the email to others. Alexandra's parents will receive 3 cents for every forwarded message.

It is not the first time that I have received an E-mail like this one and I cannot help myself, but my detective mind has been turning over this issue the whole day.

Are these E-mails for real or is it a scam to get hold of E-mail addresses for spam? Does the parents really get 3 cents for every click? How do we know that this E-mail was not started by fraudsters? How does it work? How do they track it? How do we distinguish between real requests for help and fraudulent ones?

I would love to know the answer to these questions and I suspect many of you well meaning people out there would love to know too.

If you have any knowledge about these E-mails, please post a message in the comments section at the end of this blog.

And if you were wondering if I forwarded the E-mail....Yes, I did! I have a soft spot for children and I will keep on doing so until someone out there in the blogosphere lets me know that these E-mails are a scam.

Please let us know if you know anything about these E-mails, even if you just have limited information.

Love & Light
Victoria

"Dear All,
Alexandra came out of a rigging fire alive, but now has to fight for her life and a normal future. She is 14 months old and she has burnt skin all over her body, damage facial bones (as a result of very high temperature). She does not have half of her face. She is in hospital in Krakow - Poland and one of the best specialist is looking after her. However she still has to go through many surgeries and then long rehab. Unfortunately her parents do not have any more money.
Therefore we are asking for your help. For each forwarded email her parents will get 3 cents. Please help them and forward that email to as many people as you can".