The MSN is Closing Down Hoax

Any email notice you receive that states, “MSN is closing down” is a hoax. This bogus chain letter claims that MSN has a very limited number of usernames that are currently still available. It urges recipients of the email who would like to keep their free MSN account to send the “MSN is closing down” message on to other people in their contact list. It threatens to cancel or instigate a service charge to any MSN account holders who receive and doesn’t pass on the "MSN is closing down" message. There is absolutely no truth to any of these claims, however.

MSN is not closing down. Anyone who receives an “MSN is closing down” email notice should not forward the message to anyone. Just delete the message and its contents so your antivirus software doesn't have to. You will not incur any penalty for failing to comply with the notice’s instructions. These email notifications are not sent by anyone affiliated with the Microsoft Corporation’s real MSN division. The poor grammar and general unprofessional tone of the letter should serve as some proof of this.
Variations of the “MSN is closing down” chain letter have been in circulation for a few years. While these particular email chain letters, in their current form, pose no general threat to personal computers, they should be taken seriously for what they are. The only thing that forwarding this unsolicited, fraudulent chain letter will succeed in doing is wasting the sender’s time and taking up bandwidth space, which is often part of the intention of chain-letter hoaxes. Forwarding chain emails can potentially waste a substantial amount of bandwidth, which can in turn clog up networks and disrupt valid use of the service.

There are a few telltale signs to look for when attempting to spot a chain letter in general. For example, does the letter include genuine, complete contact information? A representative from an authentic professional organization does not generally list an email address from a free email account service as a point of contact. If genuine contact information is not provided, be suspicious. If in doubt, try contacting the company directly using the contact information provided on the company’s official website to inquire about the contents of the notice.

Poor grammar is another red flag that is typically distinctive of chain letters. If the letter looks like it was written by someone who would probably fail a high school English grammar test, it’s safe to assume that this person is not an official representative of any reputable company. Also, be aware that big companies such as Microsoft do not send out official notices to their customers via chain letters. This too is another red flag tip off.

The “MSN is closing down” chain-letter hoax follows a very familiar chain letter pattern. The letter first hooks the recipient into reading the letter by presenting what appears to be an urgent message. It then proceeds to threaten the recipient with an undesirable consequence if some specific action is not followed. This tried-and-true chain-letter hoax formula has been around for a long time, since even before the invention of the public internet. Email just offers another vehicle with which to transmit these chain letters.

When you come across a suspicious chain letter, just remember this rule of thumb: “When in doubt, don't send it out!”

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