Hoax Virus, Fake Email Offers
How Can I spot a hoax email or fake offer ?
Hoax Virus Alerts
There are a lot of viruses out there. But some aren’t really out there at all. Virus hoaxes are more than mere annoyances, as they may lead some users to routinely ignore all virus warning messages, leaving them vulnerable to a genuine, destructive virus. Or more worrying some of these hoax attache fake fixes which are viruses themselves or ask the user to do something like delete a file.
These are e-mail messages either warning the recipient of an impending virus or other disaster, or promises the recipient of some reward if he or she would only “forward the message to everybody they know”. In most cases, there is no basis to these warnings/give-aways, and the message itself becomes a type of “virus” as each person replicates and passes on the message, and each of those people replicates it and passes it on, etc., etc., etc. Most antivirus programs are not designed to detect hoaxes since they do not attempt to replicate or damage systems on their own (they just depend on the individual to do that for them!).
If the message tells you to do something, especially if that something involves changing in your account or sending a file or message over the network, **CHECK WITH SOMEONE KNOWLEDGEABLE THAT YOU CAN TRUST**. Imagine you received a package to your house asking you to place your house keys in the return envelope provided, and mail them to a post office box. Would you comply? People fall for the computer version of this all the time.
If you are not sure then copy some text from the email and place it in a search engine the results will normally give you a good indication if it is a hoax. Or you could visit a page like Symantecs Hoax Page and see if you see the name of your fake virus on the list.
“Forward This message to get a free …. !”
Many hoaxes encourage their victims to forward a message to as many people as possible in order to get a reward for themselves or on the behalf of some charity. The hoax claims that if enough copies of the message get sent then something good will happen. Alternatively, some messages claim that unless enough messages are sent, than something bad will happen. The thing to know is that there is no way for anyone to count the number of copies of an email in circulation on the internet, nor to count the number of times something has been forwarded.
A chain letter is a “get rich quick” scheme that promises that your post box will soon be stuffed full of cash if you decide to participate. You’re told you can make thousands of pounds every month if you follow the detailed instructions in the letter. The main thing to remember is that a chain letter is simply a bad investment. You certainly won’t get rich. You will receive little or no money.
There are enough myths, legends, and hoaxes on the net to fill a book, in fact, one is growing, check out urban legends.com
So Remeber Don’t forward the Email, Microsoft, Disney The GAP, VIctoria’s Secret etc, are not giving away stuff for free. They are not going to tax modems or the internet. They are not going to ban religious stations either. No kids need your email as last wish or to save their lives. Nobody wakes up in a tub of ice with his kidneys stolen and Nope, you are not getting the secret recipe for a corporate giant’s product.