Virus warning

Bobbles · 02-13-2008

Got this in my e-mail this morning and thought I should pass it on to you guys.

READ IMMEDIATELY PLS

Get this sent around to your contacts ASAP...we don't
need this spreading around.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND
CONTACTS:

You should be alert during the next days:

Do not open any message with an attached file called
'Invitation' regardless of who sent it, It is a virus
that opens an Olympic Torch 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, that is why
you should 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 'invitation' , though
sent by a friend , do not open it and shut down your
computer immediately. 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

**tamlin** · 02-13-2008

Most of these kinds of emails are hoaxes, and this one is no different. Please read this:

McAfee – Computer Anti-Virus Software and Internet Security For Your PC

and this:

Don't fall for a virus hoax

Bobbles: thank you for your concern, but you can safely delete that email.

turvas · 02-13-2008

You are all so naiive.
This is just a chain mail that has been going around since 2006. Yes, 2006. And in reality "Olympic Torch" as a virus does not exist. All there is to it is spam e-mail, which you, Bobbles, are obviously helping spread.
Olympic Torch (virus hoax - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Olympic Torch Hoax

//Edit: Sorry, Tamlin. You posted when I was typing my message, I didn't see yours before posting mine.

**tamlin** · 02-13-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by turvas

All there is to it is spam e-mail, which you, Bobbles, are obviously trying to spread.

I wouldn't be too hard on Bobbles - she was obviously just trying to pass on what appeared to be an important message. Not everyone is aware that these sorts of hoaxes exist.

turvas · 02-13-2008

If you must, my message is now... more politically correct.

Bobbles · 02-13-2008

Sorry about that. In my defence I did get the message from someone who I trusted, not a spam. I will be more careful in future.

creativestudios · 02-13-2008

yeah this one was going around about 2 or 3 years ago. no worries.

*unleash* · 02-13-2008

Bobbles, I don't think we really care if you intended it as spam. I think that we better can be prepared for something that is a hoax in the end, than to not be prepared for something that doesn't turn out as a hoax....

if you get what Im saying

supertackyman · 02-13-2008

I agree unleash, better to hear about a possible problem, and then do a quick search to see if its a legit threat than to ignore it. a google search takes maybe 10 minutes whereas reinstalling a harddrive/windows and all your personal files (that if you've never been burned before, you probably havent backed up) takes much longer.