Virus Hoaxes: Believe It or Not

Many of us fall victim to the occasional chain email, and many of us are also among the culprits who send chain emails. Keeping this in mind, many chain emails contain virus hoaxes.

A virus hoax is a false report about non-existent viruses. Many times, virus hoaxes claim to do impossible things. However, sometimes people who are the recipients of a virus-hoax email believe it to be a true virus warning and take drastic measures to ensure that they do not become victims.

Virus hoaxes are common and are familiar to all email users. Some viruses are legitimate, while others are just hoaxes. Be sure to stay safe by keeping your antivirus software up-to-date. Determining the validity of a virus takes time, but if the virus is determined to be a hoax, then the time spent to determine this fact was just a waste of time and money.

Two typical phrases found in the body of a virus hoax email are:

• Forward this message to all your friends!
• Do not open! Doing so will result in the deletion of all of the files on your hard drive!

Many virus hoaxes have been circulating since the early days of the internet and little has changed regarding the content of these virus hoaxes; however, some virus hoaxes take on a new theme or a more up-to-date topic. These same virus hoaxes can sometimes contain a very serious message or a tragic story, in which the email author tries to make the reader feel sorry for them and draws the reader further into their tangled web. Other virus hoaxes promise the reader something, especially if they forward the email to at least ten people. Still other virus hoaxes entice the reader to send personal information or even cash in the process with the promise that they will get something in return, though they never do because it is all a hoax.

Virus hoaxes can arrive in your email inbox from a friend or somebody you don’t even know. You may think that the internet is supposed to be secure, but you never know if a website you registered on sold your email address to some other company, therefore making you the potential recipient of a virus hoax. With this in mind, your best way to deal with a virus hoax is to delete the email. If you do not know the sender, delete the email. If you open the email and read it and it sounds absurd, delete it. If the email asks you to respond with personal information, delete it. If the email asks you to send money, delete it. If the email promises something in return that sounds too good to be true, delete it. Remember, as the old saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Today, those of us with computers probably have antivirus software on our computers to help alert us of any potential viruses. The most common antivirus software companies today are McAfee, Symantec and Trend Micro. These vendors provide up-to-date lists of virus hoaxes. The website www.Snopes.com also provides a list of virus hoaxes.

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