R. S. Martin Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 This email was forwarded to a batch of people and I don't know if all are religious but............. I'm taking it on good faith that this really is not a scam and that it iswise to be aware and not open any e-mail that arrives with the word"Invitation" on it. I guess it's better to be forewarned and have it turnout to be not a problem than to delete it and have a major computerproblem. what am I supposed to do with it? Apparently if I delete it I am risking major computer problems. If I open an email with the word "invitation" on it I must be forewarned. Is this superstition taken to the virtual level? The person who sent it to me is a Christian and, in my opinion, no good at thinking through anything abstract. I suppose internet viruses are somewhat abstract and scare tactics are what keep life exciting--is that about the size of it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuaiDan Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 Chain mail garbage. Just enact good common sense when you work with email. Change your email security setting to something you're comfortable with and can work with. Keep your antivirus updated. I usually know who's sending me email and seldom get surprises, so I don't go haphazardly opening large emails from unknown sources or emails with attachments. Be sure to set up your email or folder settings so you can see file extensions (*.jpg, *.exe, *.bat etc.) and learn what they mean. These will be far more useful steps with far more reliable indicators of malicious intent than screening by subject heading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted October 26, 2007 Author Share Posted October 26, 2007 It was forwarded by my landlady. We occassionally do business by email so I can't block her email or anything. But I chose not to open any attachments on that specific one. The logic just seemed so odd. I thought maybe she's warning about a flu virus that may be in the area--something people get sick with. Anyway, I deleted the message any nothing happened to my computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbobrob Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 It is always wise not to open attachments unless you know what they are. I just had an awful experience with allowing an ActiveX control program to run, making my computer a spyware and adware mess for a while. Still not 100%, but I found a couple of websites with good advice, and lots of hours scanning with multiple programs. I do fear a time when someone figures out how to mimic evite.com invites, since that is how most of the parties I get invited to are sent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurisaz Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Ruby, welcome to reincarnation #345,887 of the Good Times Virus... See specifically the paragraph "Hoaxes similar to Good Times"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted October 27, 2007 Author Share Posted October 27, 2007 It goes way over my head. I don't know what's in my emails until I open them. I use hotmail and it sorts emails into junk and inbox, also into safe and unsafe. That article mentioned viruses that do damage before being viewed or opened. I guess that is what anti-virus programs and firewalls are for. Further down there was a crazy paragraph about a virus that could damage the fridge's cooling system just by virtue of being in the same room as the computer receiving the virus. It said that was a humor parody so I guess it's a joke. My guess is that's a joke that would have worked only in about 1994 before many people understood the internet and its limitations. I still don't know what a person is supposed to do with that kind of email. Apparently, if you get an email with the word "Invitation" in the subject line, you're not supposed to open it and you're not supposed to delete it. Who in their right mind would let these messages accumulate in their inbox for ten, twenty years? I mean, don't people get all kinds of invitations via email? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurisaz Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 That's the nature of that kind of hoax. It's about as logical as da wholly babble. What to do with those who send you such crap? If they aren't among your loved ones, beat them over the head with a crowbar until they learn Now it they are part of your family et cetera, that's when things can get complicated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWIM Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 This email was forwarded to a batch of people and I don't know if all are religious but............. I'm taking it on good faith that this really is not a scam and that it iswise to be aware and not open any e-mail that arrives with the word"Invitation" on it. I guess it's better to be forewarned and have it turnout to be not a problem than to delete it and have a major computerproblem. what am I supposed to do with it? Apparently if I delete it I am risking major computer problems. If I open an email with the word "invitation" on it I must be forewarned. Is this superstition taken to the virtual level? The person who sent it to me is a Christian and, in my opinion, no good at thinking through anything abstract. I suppose internet viruses are somewhat abstract and scare tactics are what keep life exciting--is that about the size of it? Opening email with some programs with "Show HTML" or other such option on *can* cause the virus the auto-load. Some programs use a version of IE to view the messages. Make sure your *browser* has tight security if this is the case. Being IT oriented and having received thousands of emails over the years, I have come to the conclusion that "turning ON text only" in email is by far the safest measure to take. Just make sure that people who write you know you are set this way so the formate the mail they send you accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted October 27, 2007 Author Share Posted October 27, 2007 Thanks for the enlightenment, Thurisaz. As a general rule I make little fuss over chain letter emails but the illogic of this one was so far out I had to share it with someone. Most of them promise me a batch of prayers or some such good luck if I forward it to five or ten others on my mailing list. I never do. Since they're always from people I like and don't want to cut out of my life I just delete and bear it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted October 27, 2007 Author Share Posted October 27, 2007 Opening email with some programs with "Show HTML" or other such option on *can* cause the virus the auto-load. Some programs use a version of IE to view the messages. Make sure your *browser* has tight security if this is the case. Being IT oriented and having received thousands of emails over the years, I have come to the conclusion that "turning ON text only" in email is by far the safest measure to take. Just make sure that people who write you know you are set this way so the formate the mail they send you accordingly. Okay, so that's what "Show HTML" means. I can barely read it because it's so cluttered but I'm learning to see a few basic patterns. As I said in an earlier post, I use hotmail and it is an msn product as is IE. It seems to be secure. Nothing bad ever happens and I can always read what people send me so I guess something's working right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts