Get Rich Quick

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a reminder: you can't trust everything you read on the Web. That's why the government agency created a Web site for McWhortle Enterprises (www. mcwhortle.com). McWhortle looks as if it's a real manufacturer of biological defense materials—but the company's actually a hoax. The fraudulent site should inspire classroom discussions on the accuracy of online information, says Susan Wyderko, SEC's director of the Office of Investor Education.

The government agency has already received e-mails from kids who have stumbled onto the Web site. "We tell them to remember that you can't believe everything you read on the Internet, and to be careful about where they send money," Wyderko says. The SEC also encourages students and educators to explore its own Web site (www.sec.gov/investor/students.shtml), home to educational information on Internet fraud, saving, and investing.