That's why I said it could happen to anyone. Whether real or phony, here is some information we PAUG members can use to protect ourselves from real or hoax viruses. Do not open unknown email attachments from non-trusted sources. You can scan your email for viruses, or trash the email, or write the sender for more information. You should NOT forward this kind of mail to people who did not request it and weren't in on the original conversation thread.
Virus hoaxes are a particularly virulent form of electronic gossip .
They work by tricking well-meaning people into propagating a falsehood. Hoaxes hint that something terrible will happen if you don't pass the email on to everybody you know. Hoaxes can be stopped dead in their tracks by a very simple investigation. McAffee and other anti-virus vendors may have similar sites. Lists of new and shopworn virus hoaxes are a one-click shopping trip.