Put fresh batteries in your clue meter and don't get swept up in this latest wave of hysteria. There are a number of warning signs that should make a user suspect a virus alert is a hoax. Typically, a hoax will claim a company, such as Microsoft, IBM or America Online, has made an announcement about a devastating new virus. A real alert will contain a link to a fixed Web page of the company explaining the problem. Any alert without such a link should be considered suspect.
Poor grammar is another giveaway.
While many virus hoaxes allegedly come from the desk of a well-educated company official, they often contain mispellings and grammatical errors more typical of the young boys who usually create them.