"Postcard" Virus Hoax

[PK]

If you receive an e-mail warning you about a "very dangerous" virus and it asks you to forward this warning to all your friends and family, please don't! It is a hoax.

Checked with Norton Anti-Virus, and they are gearing up for this virus!
Checked with snopes.com , and it is for real!!  Also, check for other virus subject lines at http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp
Get this E-mail message sent around to your contacts ASAP.
PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS!
You should be alert during the next few days.  Do not open any message with an attachment entitled "POSTCARD," regardless of who sent it to you.  It is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which 'burns' the whole hard disc C of your computer. This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list.  This is the reason why you need to send this e-mail
to all your contacts.  It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it.

If you receive a mail called" POSTCARD," even though sent to you by a friend, do not open it.!   
This is the worst virus announced by CNN. It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever.  This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus.  This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.
 
COPY THIS E-MAIL, AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS. REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US.

This e-mail is a HOAX. Please tell the person who sent you the e-mail so they do not continue to propagate the lie. Any time an e-mail asks you to forward it to friends or family it is a redflag that something is wrong. E-mails like this one are meant to cause fear and THAT is the real virus. The perpetrators who start the e-mail rumor succeed if they cause fear and their message gets sent to millions of people. It is a new form of virus. One that doesn't require any knowledge of hacking or programming. It only requires a lie.

http://www.truthorfiction...mors/a/a-card-for-you.htm

http://urbanlegends.about...ary/bl_postcard_virus.htm

If there is a "real" threat you will hear about it on the "real" news. Not via e-mail, which is how viruses are spread. Although there are viruses that disguise themselves as "Postcards" they are no more a threat now then they were 5 years ago. As always don't open any strange ".exe" files or attachments from people you don't know.
pk

[Ginafish]

Okay, I'm going to tell on myself.

I learned of the 'virus' this morning, and (insert air quotes) learned it was legit so I promptly emailed about five people I thought should look out for this.

Only thing was, I thought I had copied the link to snopes, when in fact, I hadn't. I didn't realize it till someone emailed me back asking if my email was a joke, but I had accidentally pasted the last thing I had copied.

The screen shot of ET for the Movie Game Thread.

I have clarified to the people I emailed that it was actually a hoax, and confessed that I'm a ditz.

Normally, I do not forward anything. Only rarely have I forwarded virus alerts. And only after I have checked their legitimacy. This will teach me to verify with at least three sources! 

[KitKat]

Okay, confession time. I'm the one that started this whole mess b/c I received an e-mail about the virus from a very reliable source, our local Merchants Assoc. President and our local Chamber of Commerce.  HA! Who would of thought?

I didn't even open it yesterday, I was too afraid b/c he sent it as an attachment, RE: VIRUS. (I know not to open any attachments, especially if it says VIRUS) This scared me enough not to open it, but this morning I decided since it was sent to all the merchants in town, it would be safe to open. After I read it I decided to e-mail PK and ZeroG so they could check it out. They both responded very quickly to my PM telling me it was a HOAX.  Unfortunately, in my haste to be of help, I PM's several members of Isara, one being Ginafish.

Lesson learned:
I'll always get approval from PK or ZeroG before I send out any e-mails notifying anyone about an alert on a virus or listen for an announcement on TV.   

Ginafish you're not the ditz, I'm the one that started all the PM's and probably got you confused by my message.

I've notified our Merchants Assoc. President and our local Chamber by e-mailing them the post that PK made on this thread.     

Sorry, everyone! 

[ZeroG]

Don't feel bad KitKat. Nothing can compare to the hoax PK did on last April Fools day. 

[PK]

KitKat - We've all received those kind of e-mails (virus warnings, requests to help a sick child, the Prince of Nigeria needing help with money, etc.) and we've all forwarded them to others at one time or another.

The only reason why I posted the topic was to revive the Technology section with a new topic. And, also, so that people might find Isara if they ever do a search on G**gle for the "Postcard" virus.

So as ZeroG said, don't feel bad.

[KitKat]

  I never feel bad on Isara, it's a feel good place! 

PK, I knew that was why you posted it, and it's had some interest too.