i'm a buddhist.
those things are just fake believes, just like one elakirian said, buddhism is not about belief in myths or greater powers and stuff. Buddhism is about pure truth, and that's it.
Those kind of messages are spread by either buddhists who have lost their way or by non-buddhists aiming to bring shame to buddhism. nobody should encourage those types of scams.
i got the same letter about 3 years ago, and i didn't do anything about it, i didn't burn it or rip it, i don't know what happened to it, maybe i lost it. but here i am, perfectly OK and doin better than ever.