back to the Desk main page.
back to the Desk Attack page.
To the Desk's Urban Legend Page

Scamming for Fearful Dollars

From -The Media Desk- Urban Legend and Hoax Dept.

This article is presented as a public service.
Copy and forward the link to this page at will.

And so the Hype-Mart kicks in....

[Text of Panic Stricken Email]

Protect your family and yourself from Bio-chemical warfare
We have gas masks certified by the Israeli Defense Authorities
and the only ANTHRAX antibiotic available!
[End of email]
[From Website]
MultiRX
The Internet's Online Pharmaceutical Source
Protect Yourself From ANTHRAX Threats HERE
we have the ONLY drug approved for treatment of biological attacks! Cipro
----
Our Gas Masks are being offered to all the American Public praying that they will never be used, but we have to face that the threat of a biochemical attack is very real. We sell only the most current and updated models certified by the Israeli Defense Authorities.
[end of quotes]
The write up on the Website goes out of its way to quote an article in Time magazine, and CNN, and points to the Time.com website. Well, OK, let's let Time speak for itself....
[From Time.com October 8, 2001 Vol. 158 No. 16]

Gas Masks

DO THEY WORK? A good model like the Advantage 1000 CBA-RCA does, but you have to be wearing it when the gas hits. To do that, you have to know when to put it on, and unfortunately some biological and chemical weapons have no odor (see air sniffer). Surplus Israeli army models can't be trusted to be in good condition. Fiber masks designed for medical workers keep out some germs but not chemical or biological weapons.

And about the mysterious CIPRO

Antibiotics PURPOSE: To kill bacteria that may be used in bioterrorism, such as anthrax and plague.
DO THEY WORK? Cipro is the only drug approved for biological attacks--specifically for inhaled anthrax--although it's never been directly tested in humans for that. Doxycycline and penicillin may help as well, if given over a long term. Streptomycin or gentamicin are preferred for plague, but tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones also do the trick. For tularemia, doxycycline and ciprofloxacin are the antibiotics of choice. Prompt treatment is essential.
AVAILABILITY: By prescription, although doctors should not prescribe until they know you've been infected. Cost for all is reasonably low.

So...Sorry www.deskofgold.com [this is the website of the MultiRx people, gotta love it don't you?], your sources don't seem to hold up your argument (three antibiotics were listed as used for Anthrax), and in fact, CNN has a link to the CDC at the bottom of their own story.
So, while this is legal... (notice how they leave the US Post Office completely out of the equation by advertising over the Net and only shipping via FedEx? The Desk wonders why... Oh Well.) ... If you order it you deserve the sting you'll get.
File this one under ... SCAM SPAM!


Use your BACK button to return to the page you came from or click....

back to the Desk main page.
back to the Desk Attack page.