(no subject)

[tamakun]

God, I hate e-mail hoaxes.

My Mom just forwarded me that Bill Gates one where he'll give everyone who forwards the e-mail $245. Admittedly, she was skeptical, and rightfully so - I just spoke to her not 2 days ago about the Snopes.com website.

If I ever become a technician and start helping people with their e-mails, I'm going to be a very angry person whenever an "e-mail virus" comes up.

I typically just reply and give them the address that debunks the e-mail (either Snopes.com or McAfee Virus Hoaxes) and tell them that they're effectively spreading a virus... even though it doesn't do anything, it just wastes our time.

Once, I received a "virus warning" that my aunt sent me and my Mom. I replied (and cc'ed it to everyone else that she forwarded it to), and some idiot on the cc list had the nerve to e-mail my aunt back (my Mom got the reply, so I was able to read his words) and say that I was a liar and should not be considered a friend. Little did that "idiot" realize whom he was talking about. He also believed that the Java debugger was a virus. So, I have to laugh at wonder who was not doing their research.

I offer to check any "virus warnings" for anyone who cares to do so, 'cause it only takes me a few seconds... but when someone forwards me a warning and believes the crap that's flung at them (windows.exe is a virus! Delete it now!), it really, REALLY annoys me >,<

Admittedly, maybe some AOL'ers could be easily removed from the Internet if we circulate a warning that AOL.exe is a virus... (joke)

...do I even have any AOL users who read this? :P

Comments

[sierralad.livejournal.com]

I recall a virus hoax I got while working for MSN. Apparently, sulfnbx.exe (or something like that) was a virus, and should be deleted IMMEDIATELY! Well, I guess a customer got the email and deleted the file, and then complained that their computer didn't work. When I told her that she had fallen for a virus hoax, she blamed... wait for it... me.

She hadn't called me until AFTER she had deleted it, but she claimed that it was MY responsibility (MINE, not MSN's, or Bill Gates, who usually gets the blame) to email everyone in the @msn.com domain and tell them it was a hoax.

"I DEMAND TO SPEAK TO YOUR MANAGER!!!"

"... hokay."

My supervisor was a man named Mustafa El-Gindy, or "Moose" for short. Moose didn't take no shit.

And I got a half hour break while he dealt with the woman. Wheebong.

[tamakun.livejournal.com]

Heheheh. I would love to work for a company that has those problems, knowing full well that we're right and the person on the other end is just uninformed and didn't do some research before panicing :)