Goals Staff

Help Desk and Frequently Asked Questions

E-mail hoaxes abound on the Internet. Before listing them, perhaps the most important point to emphasize is that you cannot get a virus by opening an e-mail message. All e-mail messages are simply text files. Imagine them as pieces of paper with typing on them. You can easily see that there is no where for a virus to hide.

The only danger e-mail poses concerning virii (I'm told this is the accepted computer plural) is when an attachment is connected to the e-mail. Even then, it has to be an attachment that is executed (or run) in some way. If you do not know the person who sent you an attachment, the safest course is not to open it. Opening it means that you click, or double-click, on the attached file. Opening the e-mail that the attachment is connected to will not execute the attachment.

Here is a brief list of some of the most popular e-mail hoaxes.

1. The Good Times Virus. This is probably the oldest and, possibly, still the most popular e-mail hoax. It claims that an e-mail titled Good Times contains a virus that will do drastic things to your computer. It's a lie.

2. Returned Mail Hoax. This hoax implies that any e-mail returned to you is actually a virus. Since almost anyone using e-mail will have an e-mail returned to them at some point, this hoax scares many people when they do "bounce" an e-mail. Again, as you cannot get a virus from an e-mail, you can see this is a hoax.

3. Bill Gates E-Mail Tracking Hoax. This and the closely allied Disneyland Hoax imply that 1. Bill Gates can track your e-mail and 2. He's willing to give you money. While it may not be obvious the first is impossible, it should be apparent the second is unlikely.

These are the hoaxes I have received the most often. To find out about others or simply to see what the current hoaxes are, click here. This page, as it notes, is the industry standard and contains much useful information.