This story was first published on 2nd April 2005
The information in this supposed virus warning is completely untrue. There is not, nor has there ever been a virus like the one described in the message.
The hoax has been circulating since 2001 and may arrive in languages other than English, including Spanish, Italian and German. According to a write-up about this hoax on the Symantec website, the Spanish language version was the original.
It seems apparent that the entire purpose of this silly prank email is to cause unnecessary alarm among inexperienced computer users.
Forwarding false virus warnings such as this one is a waste of bandwidth and can be counterproductive. The dissemination of fake virus warnings can result in recipients ignoring or overlooking legitimate warnings. In some cases, such as the Teddy Bear Virus Hoax, fake warnings can trick people into deleting legitimate files from their computers.
If you receive a virus warning via email, always check the veracity of the warning on an anti-virus or anti-hoax website before forwarding the email or acting upon any instructions the email may contain.
Example
A virus will be spreading in 48 hours from now!!!!
PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL: This message arrived today, Microsoft just announced it.
The information said: If you receive an e-mail with the subject Help, don’t open it, don’t even move your mouse over it or clean it because with only that action a virus will be activated without the necessity to download any file, it is a cyber-terrorism!!
Wait 48 hours after you receive the virus in order to clean it, otherwise it will erase your hard disk and BIOS. This action doesn’t have a cure because the computer startup system is affected and you are not to be able to get in the operating system.
Note: It can arrive with an unknown name or with one of your contacts’ name. VERY URGENT, PASS THIS TO EVERY PERSON WHO HAS YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS!!!!
Importance Notice
After considerable thought and with an ache in my heart, I have decided that the time has come to close down the Hoax-Slayer website.These days, the site does not generate enough revenue to cover expenses, and I do not have the financial resources to sustain it going forward.
Moreover, I now work long hours in a full-time and physically taxing job, so maintaining and managing the website and publishing new material has become difficult for me.
And finally, after 18 years of writing about scams and hoaxes, I feel that it is time for me to take my fingers off the keyboard and focus on other projects and pastimes.
When I first started Hoax-Slayer, I never dreamed that I would still be working on the project all these years later or that it would become such an important part of my life. It's been a fantastic and engaging experience and one that I will always treasure.
I hope that my work over the years has helped to make the Internet a little safer and thwarted the activities of at least a few scammers and malicious pranksters.
A Big Thank You
I would also like to thank all of those wonderful people who have supported the project by sharing information from the site, contributing examples of scams and hoaxes, offering suggestions, donating funds, or helping behind the scenes.I would especially like to thank David White for his tireless contribution to the Hoax-Slayer Facebook Page over many years. David's support has been invaluable, and I can not thank him enough.
Closing Date
Hoax-Slayer will still be around for a few weeks while I wind things down. The site will go offline on May 31, 2021. While I will not be publishing any new posts, you can still access existing material on the site until the date of closure.Thank you, one and all!
Brett Christensen,
Hoax-Slayer
