ISC email Hoax warning: Gas shortage hoax

http://isc.sans.org/diary.php?date=2005-09-02

There is a hoax e-mail making the rounds about a gas shortage. Don't run out and create a shortage. And now, we have reports from one of our readers (thanx, Rikki) who is seeing e-mails about a gas shortage floating around. The facts are, yes, there have been gas stations that have run out of gasoline. That is mostly because people have flocked to them to fill up fearing a shortage (can you say self-fulfilling prophecy?). Yes, some refining capacity in the US has been impacted by the hurricane, but we won't know the impact of that for some time yet. In the meantime, there is gasoline available in the US, and stations are still getting deliveries. Yes, the prices have gone up and conserving would be a good idea, but there is no evidence of an imminent widespread shortage outside of the areas that suffered direct infrastructure damage earlier this week. Remain calm.