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Hoax Emails

Hoax or not? How do you tell? By Kai Chandler

Every week or so I get emails from friends asking if this or that email is a hoax or genuine. Let's look at a real example that's just arrived.

Dear Friends, We have been unwittingly just infected with a virus from someone's email. THIS Klez Worm VIRUS SENDS ITSELF TO ALL THE ADDRESSES IN THE ADDRESS BOOK OF THE COMPUTER IT HAS ARRIVED AT. Take the time and remove it now. The instructions are easy and I got rid of it in a few minutes. Some versions of anti virus software including Norton and Inoculate T have not been able to detect it. It is said that the virus HIDES in the computer for 2 weeks and then DAMAGES THE DISC IRREPARABLY. The virus is called sulfnbk.exe Many apologies for the trouble it is causing.

Sounds serious, doesn't it? These emails normally ask you to forward them to all your friends and colleagues. In a way they are like viruses themselves as they spread themselves. Unlike "proper" viruses they carry no payload attached. They are more like chain-letters.

Hoax emails come in a variety of flavours. Top anti-hoax site Hoaxbusters splits them into categories:

Malicious Code Warnings

- such as the sulfnbk.exe email here. They describe the terrible things that might happen to your computer.

Give Away Hoaxes

- these typically say that there are big prizes to be won if you forward the email to as many people as possible. One even says that you, or a charity, will be paid according to how many you send.

Sympathy Hoaxes

- these are often about a "brave little girl with leukaemia." They play on your emotions and are often combined with promises that charities will donate money so are similar to the Give Away Hoaxes above. For example, one frequent message says the American Cancer Society will donate 3 cents toward cancer research as part of seven-year-old cancer patient Jessica Mydek's dying wish.

Urban Myths and Legends

- these include the Premium Rate Phone Scam which is a warning being circulated among Neighbourhood Watch schemes in the UK that tells of a smartly dressed woman who calls at the door in some distress and begs to use your phone for a moment to call her husband as her car has broken down. After five minutes she thanks you and leaves. Some time later when the phone bill arrives you see you've been billed at £50 per minute. According to the UK regulatory body, ICSTIS, this is a hoax.

None of these is true

Here's how to tell:

• search on AOL Netsearch or Google for keywords in the email
• look in an anti-hoax site such as those below.

Action to take - Delete the hoax email and don't forward it. Just say no!

Top anti-hoax sites:

http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html

http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBHoaxIndex.html

http://www.arachnophiliac.com/hoax/

 

Kai Chandler reviews top tools for family friendly surfing at www.surfcontrols.com