BillGates

The Bill Gates hoax began circulating in November 1997. Part of the text of the hoax reads as follows

Forward this to everyone you know and if it reaches 1000 people everyone on the list you will receive $1000 and a copy of Windows98 at my expense.

There are a number of variants, including one which requests a credit card number and expiry date, but all claim to be sent by Bill Gates the chief executive of Microsoft Corporation. A more recent variant also adds reference to Walt Disney and offers an all expenses paid trip to Disney World.