Don't Get Tricked By Email Virus Hoaxes

If you have an email account, perhaps it is not new for you to have seen or received alerts as attachments from just about anyone who you know or don't know.

It could be your friend, a coworker, a relative or even anyone for that matter, who has sent it to you. It does not mean that you should believe mails from someone you know. They are innocent and made to believe that they must forward it to as many persons as they can and victimized thus, then you also a victim. If you thought for a while, this is the basic characteristic of any chain letter. Be it for a hoax virus or for an email virus hoax. The best way not to get tricked by a virus hoax or hoax viruses is to plainly ignore them. Here are some more tips for you.

Tips To Avoid Tricks by Viruses and Hoaxes

Your best defense against a computer virus hoax is not to fall for computer virus myths and hoaxes in the first place. Don't fall for stories, not in the least for even what the main message body of that particular mail tells you. The following tips might embolden you against virus hoaxes.

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• Don't be complacent, use a rational line of thinking as to why would anyone who you don't know warn you of a catastrophe or offer you flowers on Valentine's Day?
• Don't go by who sent you the mail. This is the worst thing that is being targeted by pranksters to vulnerable and unsuspecting persons. Realize that ignoring a hoax mail from your sister doesn't constitute to ignoring her.
• Is it urging you to forward the chain to all you know? Now immediately you know what to do. No. Don't jump to forwarding the mail to all and sundry in your contact list. Just delete the mail and you have done it the right treatment it deserved.
• Does the mail contain links to outside websites? Most of the times these links are that of malicious web pages and so do not open them.
• Certain links such as text links and banner links download adwares and spywares unsuspectingly, just upon clicking on them. Still others take you to webpages containing more links which cause adwares to download. Some examples are banners that push free screen savers, smileys and cursors.

Some Popular Hoaxes

• $800 from Microsoft - This explains why Microsoft would give away $800 to those who continue to spread that mail.
• Missing child hoax tries to establish credibility by associating itself with McAfee in its message which reads like a heart felt request by the mother of a lost child. It asks to ignore the mail as it is a proven 'milk carton bug' virus which destroys hard disks.

A virus hoax can't be taken lightly. The best thing is to ignore or delete the mail itself. Although not reported yet, virus hoaxes can cause problems if ignored.