The POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK virus alert is a HOAX
- Jan . 10 . 2010 | Category: Personal Blog |
- 18 Comments
I just received an emergency email warning of a new deadly computer virus called POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK.
But… from what I turned up in one minute with Google, IT IS A HOAX.
The email I received is copied below. Whether Ian del Carmen actually sent it, I dont know. Could be a fraudulent misuse of his name and email (that’s called spoofing, I believe).
Either way, if you do a Google search you can quickly see that this same wording was doing the rounds as long ago as 26 Feb 2008. That’s nearly 2 years ago.
***
While writing this post, another marketer has fallen for it and blasted out a copy of the same Ian del Carmen email that I received. I’m on his list too — that’s how I know.
How many more will fall for this?
***
Thought for the day: Before passing on well-intentioned alerts to your friends or subscribers, do a search for some of the key words in the message. It can save you having to scrape egg off your face later.
***
Here is the email:
HUGE VIRUS COMING! PLEASE READ FORWARD!
Hi All!
I checked with Norton Anti-Virus, and they are gearing up for this virus!
I checked Snopes, and it is for real. Get this E-mail message sent around to
all your contacts ASAP.
PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS!
You should be alerted during the next few days. Do not open any message with
an attachment entitled ‘POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK,’ regardless of who sent it
to you. It is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which ‘burns’ the whole
hard disc C drive of your computer.
This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address on
his/her contact list. That is the reason why you need to send this e-mail to
all your contacts. It is better to receive this message 25 times than to
receive the virus and open it!
If you receive an email called’ POSTCARD,’ even if it is sent to you by a friend, do not open it!
Shut down your computer immediately. This is the worst virus announced by CNN.
It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered
by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the
Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.
Sincerely,
Ian del Carmen
CEO, Fireball Group
http://FireballOnline.com
Max from Walnut Flooring 15th January 2010 11:59 am
OH man. Thanks for the head’s up! We really have to be sooooo careful nowadays, and people spreading the word about viruses that they know about is one of the best ways of protecting us all. Thanks so much for the head’s up.
Baltatu from Forex Robot 20th January 2010 3:12 am
I received that email too. And start searching in the internet right away and found this website. Thanks for the alert. Also, cool blog!
Baltatu@Forex Robot´s last blog ..USDBOT Teaser #1. New promising FX Robot.
Joseph Condron 20th January 2010 8:54 am
Yes, many people fall victims to similar messages. Best to always check out these stories and be in the safe.
Sallie Holiday 26th January 2010 8:42 pm
OMG! Thank you for the warning. So far, i haven’t received such mail. I just don’t get it why people are fooling other people. They must be really really bored with their lives huh?
Sallie Holiday´s last blog ..Holiday Cottage in Cornwall
Bill from VMOptions 1st February 2010 5:30 am
I wish they would find the creators of these hoaxes and scams and lock them up! Everyday I get all kinds of junk in my mailbox. It seems every leader and minister in the world wants to transfer money to my bank account.
kaled from howcanimakemoneyfromhome 12th February 2010 9:38 pm
Yes These things can be a real pain!
It makes you wander the lengths that people will go to..
Thanks again for the heads up!
kaled@howcanimakemoneyfromhome´s last blog ..At Home Ways To Make money
Nick from Los Angeles Carpet Cleaning 19th February 2010 10:28 am
Well, like old jokes, some emails just keep going around. But it is always better safe than sorry.
adam from email marketing software 1st March 2010 3:45 pm
Kind of idioticly humourous how these kind of hoaxes perpetuate themselves. Seems like a marketing gimmick for that fireball online website.
Tim 6th March 2010 6:54 am
I appreciate receiving warning about all potential virus threats. Even if it turns out to be a fake, at least you were aware of it.
Tom from schutzfolie 10th March 2010 3:16 am
You always have to be very carefully and must check the whole story. I also received that email in Germany. Very good post, thanks for that.
Tom@schutzfolie´s last blog ..Schutzfolien – eine Hilfe bei heißen und sonnigen Tagen
Plano Real Estate 27th March 2010 10:56 am
get yourself Kaspersky version 10 and sit back and relax. This antisoftware is the best on the market. I get these emails all the time and I don’t open anything unless I know the person or it has been tested with virus software.
Ina from Nollywood 3rd April 2010 10:16 pm
Its my practice not to open any email from unknown sender, I also preview it first before opening it.
thanks for the warning
I hate troubleshooting this kind of “waste of time”
Ina@Nollywood´s last undefined ..Response cached until Sun 4 @ 11:11 GMT (Refreshes in 22.94 Hours)
Frisco Real Estate 30th April 2010 6:56 am
amazing that people still fall for things like this… I have seen it all in the past 15 years on the webs and it amazes me that people are soo gullable.
Andrew Cahill 7th May 2010 3:01 am
Hello Gary,
I’m sending this on this latest post you made because I did not see another place to put it – I was looking for a “Rolodex” – but just to let you know and you may want to list it on your rolodex that Jeff Dedrick is providing a free membership to “Automated Ads” – what a great product. You should check it out!
diocelin from website design münchen 4th June 2010 11:14 pm
I don’t know but a lot of people loves to make fun by creating hoax information such as these, although its pretty annoying we still need to make our own research if it is true or not.
diocelin@website design münchen´s last blog ..XT Commerce Abonnement Modul
Chris from karaoke DJ equipment 6th June 2010 3:57 am
I, too, find virus creators pathetic. What is their deal? Why would you gleefully destroy someone’s computer. That’s evil, right? Destruction of someone’s personal property for no reason.
I’ve been getting slammed with virus attacks…two of my friends on Facebook have been hacked in the last week, I’m getting annoying “UPS notification” messages and nasty email spam from pharmacy sites. I’m so tired of it.
Anyway, thanks for the heads up. I won’t be opening any postcard email. Sheesh.
Cheap Popup Displays 15th July 2010 6:08 pm
I got a mail regarding this issue some months back. Things like this is head ache for us.
Cheap Popup Displays´s last blog ..How Much Fun Can You Have With Pop Up Displays
Precious One 19th July 2010 10:34 pm
Thanks for the information. It will really be a big problem if my computer will be affected with virus.