I'm the worlds most wonderful mother and friend

Totally agree Marionk. I have been trying to find words to describe this 'cloying sentimentality'. Posts about 40 year old sons being perfect, minute by minute updates on pregnancies, etc etc. So hurtful to others who are having trouble conceiving or whose sons are normal. I have a couple of friends I really like and whose company I enjoy, but how do I stop them posting such thoughtless rubbish ?

I have an impressionable sister who at one time insisted on sending me these odious things, first by letter, then by emails. If I didn't pass them on within a day or two the most awful things would befall me. Conversely, if I did pass them on I wold receive x,y or z in the shape of the most wonderful good fortune/win a huge prize/meet the man of my dreams etc. (but thought I had already or who is the man sleeping in my bed?)...

It took several very stern mails from me explaining, then imploring her not to succumb to this type of blackmail (for that's what these mails are) and under no circumstances, not to forward them on to me! My sister is an intelligent woman, just extremely impressionable and open to this type of ploy.

One wonders how many similar people have left themselves open to all types of possible scams.

I too had a 'friend' who used to send the faith based ones on quite a regular basis. I deleted all of them. I also had a friend who used to send me very funny but rather rude jokes. After sending the 'friend' a few of the jokes the chain letters stopped. Retaliation is sweet sometimes !!

I made a solemn vow many years ago never, ever to answer a chain letter even if it was for charity . this way i never have to agonise over a decision as it is a built in refusal or bin.

the cancer sufferers/anything else sufferers are merely a scam to get your details - even if the person isn't your friend on facebook they can get some details from your profile and can then send all sorts of nasties purporting to be you - they make complete profiles in your name and send friend requests to all your friends and, when the friends assume you've got another account and respond, all their details can be accessed.

the chain letter thing on facebook [or anywhere else] i delete as soon as i see them. i've never forwarded anything on and many of my friends know this and accept it [although that doesn't stop them sending me more stuff!].

why these people think it's a good idea to spam and scam people i haven't a clue. but i never open an email from someone i don't know. thankfully more and more people are more and more aware that this is happening although i'm afraid many elderly people get scammed every day by letters and phone calls.

please gnetters, be careful with your personal information - don't open emails and click on a link as it probably won't go where you think it will. and never, ever send money off so that you can receive a prize - there isn't one.

and, if you get a letter sent to you saying you've won a prize, don't send money - and if you get a phone call saying it's your bank DO NOT give them any details - banks do not request your pins!!

sorry for the long rant - spam and scam are a pet hate of mine and i get so angry when i hear that people have been taken in by them ................... please think "if it's too good to be true then it usually isn't true".

Lots of these posts are gathering names and you will be the recipient of lots of spam. I cannot understand people who forward them on. Facebook has a lot to answer for sometimes!

Sorry Lupatria I posted without realising there was a second page to this thread. Apologies for the duplication.

Tizliz and Lupatria it can't be said too often!

I have a friend in her 90s who just doesn't get this and thinks if something has her name on then it was sent specially to her and it would be rude to ignore it. She has had to be 'rescued' so many times but still doesn't get it. Different era I suppose.

Sorry if everyone here already knows how to suck eggs! We are all grans after all You should be able to send such things received by email straight to spam by setting up your spam filter to recognise key words or phrases. There must be some word or phrase that's common to this sort of post. You can filter them on FB by requesting not to receive messages from the original source. Click the little down arrow at the top right of the offending post. FB will pester to know why but it's worth it. I've filtered out some annoying stuff from younger relatives that their peers probably enjoy. You also have the option to unfollow the person who sent it to you. It's not unfriending them. They don't know you've simply declined their input.

Delete!!!!!!

I rarely get these but life is too short to waste time sending this rubbish on when I do get the occasional one.

Chain letters, even ones which seem very sweet on the surface and make you feel guilty if you don't send them on, clog up email systems and are a real nuisance. I delete immediately with no qualms, most of all those threatening "bad luck".

I don't know about you but I feel a bit left out because I've never ever had one saying that I'm the worlds most wonderful mother and friend. Bit creepy that everyone's been talking to my children and friends behind my back.

Just delete them

Co-incidentally, I have just received an email from a distant friend asking me to select a poem and send it BCC to 20 other friends. Why?

The people who send them are scared not to. I was very surprised when one relation sent one. I knew she was a nervous person, but not that scared.

I get loads of rubbish, mostly from a friend, they get deleted immediately. I have a Sister in law in Oz who does the "quizzes" which all seem to prove what a marvellous woman she is. As my DH her brother says Oz is as near as he wants her it gives you some idea of her true character!
As others have said "delete immediately"!

DH got an email this morning, which I would have recognised straight away as spam...he clicked on the attachment as well. He's expecting a payment and this was an email saying 'with reference to your recent invoice, please find details attached'. I got quite cross, as he should not be falling for this sort of stuff.

I said look at the email address - .ch is Switzerland. Who would be paying you from Switzerland?

He said he thought it might be outsourced to Switzerland....

I am hoping he hasn't managed to get a virus on his PC.

As for the silly Facebook sentimental stuff, I have deleted a few 'friends' or 'hidden' them....can't be doing with it!

I remember doing the recipe one when I was a teenager and still use a couple of the recipes I received.

As for the sinister ones - it is obvious that if you have to copy the letter and it starts with "This letter has been all over the world...don't break the chain" then that must have been the original letter. Rubbish!

The funniest picture which has appeared on my FB is one of Jesus. He is sitting at a computer and saying "I wonder if that child has enough amens for me to cure her"

morethan2 I appreciated your refreshingly honest rant post and completely agree with you - especially wondering why people who know /I have lost a daughter can be so crass as to send me things about 'best daughter in the world'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hate this stuff and I think it is sentimental baloney. I haven't read through any responses so sorry if I have deeply offended anyone, but it seems vacuous and childish to me. Actually- why apologise - receiving it has often felt offensive!

A friend use to send me things on Facebook which ended I would get bad luck if I didn't forward it on. Some of them were a bit dark.
I asked her to stop sending them as they upset people including me.
She replied that her other friends didn't mind and it was just a bit of fun. If I didn't want to receive them she would have to unfriend me.
No problem I unfriended her.
I heard from others that she has stopped sending them.

I've seen all sorts of things on Facebook, the ones that really are disgustingly cloying and sad are the "sayings", usually taken from greetings cards, such as how wonderful a mum/dad/sister etc is and to share if we love our family members, the "share" ones "if you have someone who suffers from, usually cancer, or if you have a family member who is "in heaven"! I hate the ones that say "I've been through this that and the other, but I'm stronger now", Some people, usually women, sorry ladies, post this kind of rubbish all the time. Just get on with your life instead of this childish nonsense.

Does anyone remember the friendship cake where you received a cupful of the mixture with a set of instructions and then baked the cake but saved a cupful and sent it to someone else?

I loved doing that!

Yes, we had the friendship cake here, and very nice it was too, but the trouble was that you had to give it to so many people that everybody very soon ran out of people to give it to and we all got a bit tired of it