December 17, 2004

• Heads up people! There’s an email going around that is a devastating hoax! It’s getting so bad that our local CBS news channel had the gall to include it in last night’s 6:00 PM news as fact!

  
  

  Not only did I email the newscasters that their story was a hoax, I called them & did get to speak with the reporter, Jade Moon, who spread the story. To me, this story was extremely devastating & just as bad… NO, WORSE!… than what Dan Rather did that caused him to submit an early retirement from CBS national broadcasting!

  
  

  Here’s the email I sent to KGMB Honolulu, in its entirety:

  
  

  
  

  Aloha-

  
  

   

  
  

  I briefly caught your news story about the holiday email virus. Please note that the origins of that scare is a hoax! I am including the body of the email that has been spread for approximately 4 years & the source of the site that lists it as a hoax, as well as what I replied to a friend who forwarded me the virus warning email.

  
  

   

  
  

  *******************************************************************

  
  

   

  
  

  Subject: Virus to look out for

  
  

  
  

  
  

  WORST VIRUS EVER —CNN ANNOUNCED ~
  
  
  PLEASE SEND THIS TO EVERYONE ON YOUR CONTACT LIST!!!
  
  A new virus has just been discovered that has been classified by Microsoft
  as the most destructive ever
  
  This virus was discovered yesterday afternoon by McAfee and no vaccine has
  yet been developed. This virus simply destroys Sector Zero from the hard
  disk, where vital information for its functioning are stored.
  
  This virus acts in the following manner:
  
  
  It sends itself automatically to all contacts on your list with the title
  
  “A Card for You”.
  
  As soon as the supposed virtual card is opened the computer
  freezes so that the user has to reboot. When the ctrl+alt+delkeys or the
  reset button are pressed, the virus destroys Sector Zero, thus permanently
  destroying the hard disk. Yesterday in just a few hours this virus caused
  panic in New York, according to news broadcast by CNN. This alert was
  received by an employee of Microsoft itself.
  
  So don’t open any mails with subject: “A Virtual Card for You.”
  As soon as you get the mail, delete it!!! Even if you know the sender !!!
  
  Please pass this mail to all of your friends.
  
  Forward this to everyone in your address book. I’m sure most people, like
  myself,
  would rather receive this notice 25 times than not at all.
  
       I hope you all have a healthy and peaceful holiday season. Don.

  
  

   

  
  

  ******************************************************

  
  

   

  
  

  Online myth-busters site (highly reliable):  www.snopes.com.

  
  

  Page with the information about this hoax:  http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/card.htm

  
  

   

  
  

  
  

  Origins:   The “Virtual Card for You” hoax (now often circulated simply as a “A Card for You”) has been making the rounds since at least 2000, with occasional changes along the way. No such (incurable) virus ever existed, was identified by McAfee, was reported on by CNN, or “caused panic in New York.”
  

  Additional information:  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  	Virtual Card for You (Symantec Security Response)
  	A Virtual Card For You Hoax (McAfee Virus Information Library)

  
  

  Last updated:   19 March 2002

  
  

   

  
  

  *******************************************************************

  
  

   

  
  

  My reply to the friend:

  
  

   

  
  

  
  

  Thanks for the warning, but this is unjustified. I was a bit suspicious, so first checked the McAfee site for current threats. It wasn’t listed, nor did a search for a ”sector zero virus” turn up anything. I first became suspicious because no name for the virus was given. Next step was to do a search on www.snopes.com for this same description. Voila! http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/card.htm

  
  

   

  
  

  This is a holiday destructive hoax! It causes people to discard emails from their loved ones meant solely to spread good will during some people’s bleak holiday times. This is a horrible email in my opinion!

  
  

   

  
  

  It’s amazing how stuff like this ever gets started…. the maliciousness involved is as bad as an actual computer virus. And that it continues to be distributed over & over again?!

  
  

   

  
  

  If you’d like to learn more about Internet & email hoaxes, I suggest you spend time, as I have, going through Snopes.com’s site & learn about the other hoaxes this couple who run the site have already confronted. There are some hilarious ones too. 

  
  

   

  
  

  ********************************************************************

  
  

   

  
  

  For a news agency to not check into the truth behind a story… I’m ashamed of you guys! You have done basically the same thing as Dan Rather, presenting a story without verification. Please, like I have informed my friends when they’ve forwarded on email hoaxes, check the facts first! I have checked the anti-virus sites. None such virus exists!

  
  

   

  
  

  Mahalo–

  
  

  –Myrene

  • 6:16 pm
  • 2 Comments