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Viruses & Scams

If you receive an email message warning you about a virus, here's what I recommend:

  1. Don't panic and don't immediately forward it to all your friends!
  2. Assess the credibility of the warning. Here are some things to consider:
    • If it contains lots of "!!!"'s and emotional language ("Dire Warning", "Your computer's hard disk will be destroyed!", "CNN / ABC / NBC / CBS have announced this is the worst virus yet!" etc.) then it's probably not a new threat. It may be partially valid, it's just that it may not be recent enough to worry about.
    • If it contains a link to snopes.com or anywhere else, first ensure that the link is really what it claims to be - you may be able to verify this by 'hovering' the cursor over the link and read the actual linked address. If it's a real link, go to the snopes (or other) site and read the information, especially the concluding paragraph, which often summarizes the nature of the threat.
  3. Even if you are convinced of the genuineness of the warning, do your friends a favor and don't send it to them until you have verified it with someone whose judgment you trust. If you propagate false or outdated warnings, you may be unnecessarily alarming people and are certainly adding to the surfeit of spam on the internet. What's more, you may be playing into the hands of spammers by publicizing your friends' email addresses, unless you use Blind Copy. [See this discussion of Blind Copy on the iHelpuLearn site.]
  4. Above all else, practice safe computing. This means being alert to possible threats but not blindly so. Use common sense in evaluating 'virus warning' emails. Call on 'an expert' to confirm or refute your suspicions. If you can not resist the urge to send out or forward a blanket email, do so using the Blind Copy feature of your email program, in order to protect the privacy of those you are sending the message to.

Additional Note re Electronic Greeting Card messages:
If you get an electronic greeting card do not click the supplied link, but go to the main web site of the card company specified in the email message and follow the directions for receiving your ecard ... (as stated on this snopes page.)