However, what about occasional emails from someone you know, yammering on about a new and particularly nasty virus that has just been released, warning you to watch out for the virus and — more importantly — forward the message on to everyone you know. It is tempting to forward these on, because (1) the sender is frequently a close friend, family member or business associate; and (2) the message sounds either alarming or legitimate, or both.
Ninety-nine percent of the time these are mere hoaxes, designed to get you to waste your time and to clog up e-mail systems. Sometimes they can contain viruses or Trojan horses. You should ignore them, and definitely not perpetuate their spread.
How do you spot the hoaxes? There are several tell-tale signs in the verbiage of the message:
- The information has just been discovered, and almost no one knows about it. Therefore you must be vigilant in spreading the word.
- The information is particularly alarming and potentially harmful. (“Microsoft says this is the worst virus ever reported.”)
- The use of bold letters, colored fonts, all caps, exclamation marks.
- The statement “FORWARD TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!!” No legitimate message says that.
- Statements such as “I just checked this with Snopes, and it checked out.” www.snopes.com is a common — and generally reliable — Web site for checking the veracity of common news stories. Just go to the main page and enter several key words from the message and see what Snopes has to say about it.
Just use common sense, and keep in mind that the perps are just trying to waste your time, fill up your e-mail box, or — possibly — use you to spread a virus.
Marion Jenkins, PhD, is founder and CEO of QSE Technologies, which provides IT consulting services for ASCs and other medical facilities nationwide. Learn more about QSE Technologies at www.qsetech.com.
