Chances are you first heard of Paris Hilton in a mysterious little e-mail that popped into your inbox while you were looking the other way. And maybe you ignored it, thinking it was just another free holiday scam (you know, ‘Visit Paris, stay at the Hilton for free’ sort of thing).

Fact: Paris Hilton is indeed the heiress daughter of Hilton hotel tycoons Rick and Kathy Hilton.

Fiction: She takes her name from the French capital, where she was born. Nope. She was, in fact, born in New York.

Now, about the e-mail. Hilton, 23, who has been linked with several toy boys including actor Leonardo DiCaprio and Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter, soared to fame after an amateur video of her sexual exploits with estranged boyfriend Rick Solomon found its way all over the Internet last year.

Hilton, who has played minor Hollywood roles and has announced her plans to make a music album, will be seen on screen in the under-production horror thriller House Of Wax.