# Do you reply to well-intentioned but incorrect emails? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 18, 2004, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545 "2004-11-18T21:33:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545/21 "2004-11-30T15:19:42Z")
> [@beagledave](#): > > If something has been forwarded through a chain to me…I don’t reply ALL with a Snopes link, but I DO copy and paste from the OTHER addresses that had earlier forwarded the crap. It’s pretty easy to fish them out since the headers are of course included when the people have been forwarding stuff. > > IOW, I only reply to ALL of the people who previously FORWARDED the hoax/glurge, not people who just received it. > > I do try to be civil and polite…but point out the problems of forwarding hoaxes (I hope that when they receive an email from a complete stranger…it highlights the “explosion” that happens when each person forwars to his/her own groups of friends). That makes sense, and if I had known any of the people in the headers (plural! This thing won’t go away!) I would have done that. I didn’t, and so felt weird sending them even a teensy finger-wagging email. I mean, really, she should have deleted the headers and not passed on her brother in law’s landlord’s email to a total stranger, yes? My strategy in replying to those who recieved her email (whom I did know) is to prevent further infection. Maybe they’ll read mine before forwarding hers on as truth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reply-to-well-intentioned-but-incorrect-emails/275545.md?page=1)