How to Spot a Virus Hoax

Your hard drive will melt. All your files will be deleted. The virus warning couldn't be more clear. Most virus warnings like this are hoaxes, passed along by the well-meaning to the ususpecting. Hoax virus warnings are malicious practical jokes but they aren't funny. They clog servers and sometimes install spyware and worms. They can make it all but impossible to to pay your bills, conduct your business or keep in touch through your email.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. If you receive an urgent warning from a friend, realize that he probably isn't a virus specialist, nor are you. There is no reason for anyone who to send either of you such a dire warning. Unless you're the IT director of a company that does a billion dollars worth of business annually, you'd be out of the loop on such panic-stricken warnings.
2. Most virus warnings warn of imminent danger and the destruction of the entire inside of your computer. Many of them use vaguely technical jargon and cite real news organizations and watchdog websites to give authority to their claims. By the time you receive one, it may be ten-years old or a sixth-generation variant of a grandmother hoax. The authorities quoted and claims made are almost always lies. These warnings only purpose is to frighten you into doing something.
3. Obtain protection. These nuisance warnings often mine data from your computer, including your e-mail address book and usage information. The best defense is to keep your updates current, install a spyware detection program (there are some good free programs) and run it regularly. You might also close your browser when you log off a secure site and turn off your computer when you're not using it.
4. Ignore the warnings. Don't reply in any way. Delete the e-mail, no matter how frightening the warning. Acting on them or opening attachments may provide an opening for a worm or another scam called "phishing."
5. When you get one of these warnings, engage your brain. Check it out on an independent website such as Snopes or HoaxBusters. These websites will also identify the rare valid warning and direct you to a safe "fix." Once you've learned how find reliable references, you'll be able to identify future attempts more easily.
6. Search the Internet. You also can enter the first sentences of a hoax warning or some key phrases into a search engine. Often, the search will turn up the hoax.
7. If you know the person who forwarded the warning to you, send him a note letting him know that he's forwarded a hoax with the address where you found information about it.

Tips & Warnings

• If you keep your virus protection and firewall updated and use the automatic update for software programs that is built into most programs, your home computer is more likely to receive spyware, a Trojan program or a worm than a mega-death virus.
• Independent hoax websites are more interested in identifying hoaxes and less involved in capitalizing on them. They have no vested interest in proving the worth of one software program or another designed to identify spam, viruses, or spyware.

Who Can Help:

• Find Computer, Electrical and Telephone Services Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.
• Find Electrical Services Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.