Maybe you have received an e-mail like this:

THIS TOOK TWO PAGES OF THE TUESDAY USA TODAY - IT IS FOR REAL
To all of my friends, I do not usually forward messages, But this is from my friend Pearlas Sandborn and she really is an attorney. If she says that this will work - It will work.
After all,What have you got to lose?
SORRY EVERYBODY.. JUST HAD TO TAKE THE CHANCE!!!
I'm an attorney, And I know the law. This thing is for real. Rest assured AOL and nbs Intel will follow through with their promises for fear of facing a multimillion-dollar class action suitsimilar to the one filed by PepsiCo against General Electric not too long ago.
>>>>> Dear Friends: Please do not take this for a junk letter
>>>>> Bill Gates sharing his fortune... If you ignore this, You will
>>>>> repent later.
>>>>>>>>>> Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet companies
>>>>> and in an effort to make sure that Internet Explorer remains the
>>>>> most widely used program, Microsoft and AOL are running an e-mail
>>>>> beta test.
>>>>>>>>>> When you forward this e-mail to friends, Microsoft can and will
>>>>> track it
>>>>> (If you are a Microsoft Windows user) For a two weeks time period.
>>>>>>>>>> For every person that you forward this e-mail to, Microsoft will
>>>>> pay you $245.00
>>>>> For every person that you sent it to that forwards it on,
>>>>> Microsoft will pay you $243.00 and for every third person that
>>>>> receives it,
>>>>> You will be paid $241.00. Within two weeks, Microsoft will
>>>>> contact you for your address and then send you a check.
>>>>>>>>>> Regards. Charles S Bailey General Manager Field Operations
>>>>> 1-800-842-2332 Ext. 1085 or 904-1085 or RNX 292-1085
>>>>>>>>>> Thought this was a scam myself, But two weeks after receiving
>>>>> this e-mail and forwarding it on.
>>>>> Microsoft contacted me for my address and within days, I received
>>>>> a check for $24, 800.00.
>>>>> You need to respond before the beta testing is over. If anyone
>>>>> can affoard this, Bill gates is the man.
>>>>>>>>>> It's all marketing expense to him. Please forward this to as many
>>>>> people as possible.
>>>>> You are bound to get at least $10, 000.00
>>>>> We're not going to help them out with their e-mail beta test
>>>>> without getting a little something for our time.
>>>>> My brother's girlfriend got in on this a few months ago. When I
>>>>> went to visit him for the Baylor/UT game,
>>>>> she showed me her check. It was for the sum of $4, 324.44 and was
>>>>> stamped "Paid In Full".

I do not like chain letters. Nor do I believe them. For someone who has to juggle several things everyday, chain letters irritate me because they are mails that crowd my space and take my time. Most of the time, I instantly delete them without even reading the contents. Yet, I have come across some which piqued my interest. As a social worker, articles about children asking for help through forwarding letters are harder to delete than those curse-laden letters promising money, love and safety.

Still, I’m having doubts if these letters are worth my time. A part of me is saying that if a simple click will help these children, then why not just forward the letters. On the other hand, it keeps me wondering if these letters really work or are they only scams using the net. If they are scams, who are to gain and how?

Asking my computer science graduate brother, he answered that it is possible to track down each mail sent. Therefore, it is possible that for every mail forwarded, someone gets a cent. According to him, they can easily track down these letters. More cynical than I, my brother does not believe Bill Gates will pay a person for every mail the latter distribute. He thinks the advertisements that pop out are really the point of these chain mails. Also, a friend shared that there is no way forwarding the chain letters will give cents to the “children”.

If these were true, then why do people still conjure up these letters and take the time to forward them? My friend said these are people who have nothing else to do. I would like to believe otherwise. Maybe someone can enlighten me on this? Reply or a grand piano will fall on your car this week.