What do you do when you get a virus warning in your email? Do you automatically
send it on to everyone in your address book? Would you rather be known to your
friends and relatives as someone who can be relied on, or would you rather be
known as a gullible dupe who will believe anything you get it in your email?
You might be thinking, "What harm does it do?" Did you ever hear the story of
the boy who cried wolf? To quote the McAfee site,
"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."
Before you forward a virus warning or sob story, check it out. There are sites
on the internet that list hoaxes of various kinds, including urban legends. A
list of links is included at the end of this article.
And
NEVER, NEVER, EVER
delete a file on your hard drive on the strength of an email. Check it out
first.
You can never be certain just by looking at it but there are certain telltale
signs you can look for that indicate the email you received is a hoax. Any of
the items listed below should make you suspicious.
-
If you got it in your email, be suspicious. It is probably a hoax.
-
If it says that it has been announced by Microsoft or IBM or AOL or McAfee or
Norton
(Symantec) or any other recognizable name in the computer field, it is probably
a hoax.
-
If the message was not written by the person who sent it to you, but merely
forwarded to you, it is probably a hoax.
-
If the message says, "Forward this to everyone you know", it is probably a hoax.
-
If it contains statements like "This is not a hoax" or "This is not an urban
legend", it is probably a hoax. The harder the message tries to convince you
that it is not a hoax, the more likely it is.
-
If it contains overly emphatic language, frequently uses UPPERCASE LETTERS
and multiple exclamation points!!!!!!!, it is probably a hoax.
-
If the message seems geared more to persuade than to inform, be suspicious.
Hoaxers are out to push emotional buttons.
-
If the message purports to give you extremely important information that you've
never heard of before or seen elsewhere in legitimate venues, it is probably a
hoax.
-
Read carefully and
think critically
about what the message says, looking for logical inconsistencies, violations of
common sense and obviously false claims.
For example, the one about the child who is in desperate need of an operation,
and some "philanthropist" has promised to contribute 5 cents for every person
the email is sent to. Stop and think. Wouldn't a philanthropist, just pay for
the operation and not depend on the whims of strangers? The Red Cross, Cancer
Society or any other reputable charitable organization would not make their
contribution dependant on forwarded emails.
And remember that Bill Gates did not get to be the richest man in the world by
giving away money or software. Nor did Disney get to be a huge corporation
by giving away all-expense paid trips to hundreds of people. TANSTAFL (There
Ain't No Such Thing As a Free Lunch.)
-
Look for references to corroborating sources, or links to Websites with
corroborating information. Hoaxes typically will not have any.
Don't let threats, promises or guilt trips convince you to forward any emails
of any kind. Some emails try to make you feel guilty if you don't send them on.
Statements such as "you can now decide to throw this in the trash, or be a
friend and send it to others" are designed to make you feel guilty. Don't fall
for it.
Some emails promise that something "cool" will magically pop up on your screen
or in your email if you forward an email to six people (or whatever the number
is). It ain't gonna happen. It's just a come-on to get you to forward something.
Don't fall for threats, either. You will not have good luck immediately if you
forward an email to 10 people, or within a week if you forward it to 5 people.
Nor will you have bad luck if you don't forward it at all. Computers are not
capable of dispensing luck, good or bad.
If you feel an email is worth forwarding, go ahead, but do the people you are
sending it to a favour and remove the silly threats or promises before you do.
They are annoying. To leave them in suggests that you are either gullible
enough to believe the threats or promises, or that you are too lazy to remove
them.
