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Computer Support For Individuals And Small Business |
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1/25/11 |
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Seven Tell-Tale Signs for Recognizing Email Hoaxes |
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Email hoaxes have been making the rounds for years. Some of the ones we see even now are recycles of hoaxes created over ten years ago.
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Here is a list of seven elements commonly found in an email hoax. Most, though not necessarily all, will be present in a particular email hoax.
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1. Known sender - Surprisingly the person who sent it to you is almost always someone you know (though not a computer professional). Even more surprisingly they usually sent it to you intentionally. They probably thought they were doing you (and everyone else in their contact list) a favor by notifying you about this pressing discovery. Of course, someone else did them the "favor" of sending it to them.
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2. Recommended action - There will be a recommendation for specific action to be taken by the recipient, such as to delete a file or email. It also may contain a warning to not take a specific action, such as not to open an email with a certain subject line.
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3. Sense of urgency - The subject line, or the body of the message, will impart a sense of urgency ("Virus Warning," "This is no joke," "If you find/receive it do not open it!!,"Do it now!!"). These messages are often fully capitalized for emphasis.
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4. Dire consequences - Some messages warn of dire consequences if the recommended action is not taken (computer crash, hard drive corrupted, zero sector erased, etc.).
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5. Problem solution - Some messages will provide a bogus solution for a real or imagined problem.
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6. Cite an authority - Typically the message indicates it has been authenticated by Snopes, Norton, McAfee, Microsoft, or some other high profile company or website.
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7. Send it on - The message will almost certainly urge you to forward it on to your contacts.
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Here are some examples of actual email hoaxes:
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Sulfnbk.exe Email Hoax - this hoax implores the recipient to delete a "virus" that is actually a component of the Windows operating system.
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Invitation Email Hoax - this hoax warns against opening an email with a particular attachment or subject line.
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Address Book Email Hoax - this hoax provides a bogus method to stop viruses from sending emails from the user's address book.
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This is only a sampling of the many email hoaxes being sent every day. Keep in mind the chance of receiving a credible warning in this manner as opposed to established channels (such as a good, up-to-date anti-virus program) is slim to none. For more information read a general discussion of email hoaxes.
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If you receive an email that matches the above characteristics, you can probably just deleting it. If you are not sure, check on it thoroughly before taking any action.
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