What should I do if I receive a chain letter? Why does NetZero prohibit sending chain letters?

NetZero prohibits the sending of chain letters for the same reason the U.S. Postal Service does: Sending the most common form of chain letter ("In order to avoid a terrible catastrophe, you must forward this letter to 10 people...") is a violation of federal law. In addition, chain letters are annoying and disruptive. They exist to be duplicated and sent on to others - in other words, the sole purpose of a chain letter is to generate more mail. More often than not, such letters are perceived as a nuisance by their recipients, even if the letters were sent with the best of intentions.

If you receive a chain letter by email, you should not pass it on. If you would like, you can forward it to the postmaster at the domain from which the message was sent for investigation. Under no circumstances should you use NetZero to send a chain letter. NetZero's Guidelines for Acceptable Use specifies in section 1:

"Sending chain letters through the Service is prohibited."