Olga wrote in part:
>I just now have got this alert from my husband, from his workplace.
>
This is a HOAX-- see below copied from the about.com website:
McAfee AVERT Labs would like to inform you of a new email HOAX.
This email message is just a HOAX,
currently we know of no other message that the user will receive
about the HOAX as the initial email states. AVERT
has not received any report of a user's
hard drive being erased for opening the email.
We are advising users who receive the email
to delete it and DO NOT pass it on as this is how an email HOAX
propagates.
Below is the actual text from the message
that may be received via email.
Recently a new virus was discovered that
was classified by MICROSOFT www.microsoft.com and by MCAFEE
www.mcafee.com to be the most
damaging of all time! This virus was
discovered late yesterday by MCAFEE and still there is no development
of a vaccine! This virus simply writes zeros on
the hard drive, where the vital information
for the operation of the PC is kept. The virus activates in the
following manner: 1. By email it is received with the
title 'A VIRTUAL CARD FOR YOU', when
opening the message, it sends itself to all in the address list
soon... 2. It hangs the machine, forcing the user to
reboot the system. 3. AT the moment in
which the keys ctrl+alt+del or the RESET button is pressed, it writes
zeros to the hard drive making it unusable
forever. By the previous information,
please, take precaution with the use of electronic mail and, of
course, if you receive an email which you do not know
the origin of, simply delete it without
opening. Please, send this message to the most people possible!!!! In
a few hours yesterday, this virus caused panic in
New York, according to CNN www.cnn.com.
Again, if you receive this email delete the
it and DO NOT pass it on.
McAfee AVERT
*********
A clue in this as in so many hoaxes and internet legends is the
command to "pass it on to everyone you know"--that is a RED FLAG !
When you get one of these, DO NOT forward before checking it out--
there are several good sites, including
http://urbanlegends.about.com/
http://www.snopes.com
http://www.datafellows.com/virus-info/hoax/
http://www.stiller.com/hoaxes.htm
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