Financial e-Rumors: Check Before You Click Send

They show up in my mailbox from well-meaning friends: those emails warning me about the latest danger to my health money or the environment (and some political shenanigans as well).

I don't mean to embarrass the senders (really!), but nine times out of ten (maybe it's ten out of ten) I end up telling them they have been misled by another email rumor that's not true.

I'll prove it by sending them a link to the truth about the email at TruthorFiction.com or Snopes.com.

Here are some financial emails that are still circulating. All are false except one. Do you know which one is true?

1. Hotel key cards contain your personal information and put you at risk for identity theft.
2. Entering your PIN backwards at an ATM will summon police
3. Bank of America has given credit cards to illegal aliens by not requiring a Social Security number.
4. Requesting a cookie recipe results in a $250 non-refundable credit card charge.
5. A credit card bill for $0 creates enormous headaches for the cardholder and his bank.
6. Your cell phone number is about to be released to telemarketers

I am going to make you go to the TruthorFiction.com website to check the answers, but I've made it easy for you by including the links. Go there so you can bookmark the site. Next time, before you forward one of these mass emails, check it out first.

By the way, Creditblogger Emily Davidson quashed one of these e-rumors about pictures of credit cards being taken with a cell phone. You can read about her experiment here.

Gerri Detweiler – Personal finance author, radio host and credit expert. Gerri contributes budgeting, debt recovery and savings information online.