Think Before You Click: You have received A Card from a Family Member

There is a long list of emails that come to you and sound genuine, but most of the time are spam, malware, virus, etc., sent to you by robots...

To save us from the above, there are alerts, including:

'You have received A Hallmark E-Card' Urban Legends' say: 'You've Received a Postcard' Virus
See More About:

computer virus warnings

e-cards

trojan warnings

E-Card Fraud Alert, says: Hallmark Site

snopes.com: 'Hallmark Postcard from a Family Member' virus -- MIXTURE OF REAL VIRUS WARNING AND HOAX

Solutions / Discussions:

Greetings! Someone Has Sent You an E-Card Virus, Todd R. Weiss, Computerworld pcworld.com

ECard Virus Removal, By Colin Richards @ ezinearticles.com

Security Alert: Virus Emails - You've received A Hallmark E-Card ... @ Carnegie Mellon University

Galewher.com Facebook, Twitter Virus: Koobface Strikes Again

Received an invite to make quick bucks @ Facebook. Facebook security offers help. click here and here Facebook Blog: New Tools to Secure a Compromised Account.

Here is the news: Galewher.com Facebook, Twitter Virus: Koobface Strikes Again

"Apparently, Galewher.com is an extension of the Koobface worm, which has been running amuck for some time now."

More news here: GALEWHER.C0M (GaleWher.com) Facebook Virus

My Instant Messenger and Email Sends Spam Messages to My Buddies...

This is common, nothing new or just found. Although some see it now (see the first item below), many have experienced it for almost years.  And, believing that 'This can be checked by an antivirus software or firewall' is partially correct. You need to be more cautious, careful and most important: ASK your Buddies NOT TO CLICK or try such links (see the links, below):

• Thursday, December 17, 2009: Now computer viruses not only spoil your hard disk but also your dignity
  
• My Yahoo IM sends Spam Messages
  
• How to stop your MSN sending out SPAM messages, its not virus [read here: 'Fact about Spam IM from MSN Friends with Malicious Links']
  
• SPAM Messages On MSN
  
• How to Stop MSN Messenger spam Message
  
• Windows Live (MSN) Messenger Friends’ Messege Spam Phishing URL (Clean ‘Virus’)
  
• Characterizing Botnets from Email Spam
  
• Storm botnet recruiting again

See also: Something related in terms of the spam (but not with msn / yahoo messenger), it is with emails (msn, yahoo, etc.) :

Spam being sent from my personal account = Someone has hacked my e-mail account.

JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST MSN VIRUSES! Is someone spamming your MSN contacts in your name? + How to avoid becoming a victim?

This site lures you to "verify who blocked you on their msn contact list", stealing your MSN/Hotmail password and therefore your MSN identity @ MSN experts pls, is this a scam site

10 Instant Messaging Safety Tips @ Microsoft Security:
1. Never open pictures, download files, or click links in messages from people you don't know.
2. Be careful when you create a screen name.
3. Create a barrier against unwanted instant messaging.
4. Never provide sensitive personal information, such as your credit card numbers or passwords, in an IM conversation.
5. Block unwanted messages.
6. If you decide to meet a stranger that you know only from IM communication, take appropriate safety precautions.
7. Don't send personal or private instant messages at work.
8. If you use a public computer, do not log on automatically.
9. When you're not available to receive messages, be careful how you display this information to other users.
10. Monitor and limit your children's use of IM.

A Pathfinder To Detect Spam and Forwarded Email Scams

I have compiled a list of sites that help in detecting spam, scam, fake and fraud sites. Are there any more, or I am missing any important one, here:

• 419 BAITER
• Better Business Bureaus in Canada
• Blog of Scams
• Federal Trade Commission's website on spam email
• Forward scam emails to
• Fraud Aid
• Fraud Email Collection
• Fraud Email Gallery
• http://www.snopes.com/
• Indian Consumer Complaints Forum
• Legit or Scam?
• Museum of hoaxes
• Paypal Fake Emails
• PCQandA.com
• Rumor Detectives
• Scam Types dot Com
• Spam Laws
• Spam Scammers
• Stop Spam Email
• Thats Nonsense
• The Universal Seduction
• Tips To Detect Scam Websites
• Truth or Fiction
• Urban Legends

Has any one evaluated these sites?

Golden rule in forwarding Forwarded e-mail or Chain e-mails

Follow the Golden Rule!! Treat others as you would like to be treated - with respect! ... Think it over before forwarding Forwarded e-mail or Chain e-mails.
More here: "Nightscribe's Advice on forwarding e-mail is condensed to a few simple rules" @ Electronic Chain Letters and Mindless Forwards are SPAM!!

In an article, "5 Rules for Forwarding Email" by Judith posted @, E-mail Etiquette Articles and How Tos, you will find the following five rules. Read these also as Golden Rules when you forward emails:

1. Don’t forward anything without editing out all the forwarding >>>> , other email addresses, headers and commentary from all the other forwarders.
2. If you cannot take the time to write a personal comment at the top of your forwarded email to the person you are sending to – then you shouldn’t forward it at all
3. Think carefully about if what you are forwarding will be of value (accurate information — check for hoaxes @ Snopes.com), appreciated (something the recipient needs) or humorous (do they have the same sense of humor as you do) to the person on the other side.
4. It should go without saying (But I have to say it because folks do so anyway.) that forwarding of chain letter; regardless how noble the topic may seem, virus warnings or anything that says “forward to everyone you know” simply shouldn’t be forwarded because in most cases it is plain old B.S. (again check before forwarding @ Snopes.com).
5. If you must forward to more than one person, put your email address in the TO: field and all the others you are sending to in the field to protect their email address from being published to those they do not know.

Victim sends a forward - Posted By MEAW

Note: This is a funny collection, author: unknown (anonymous)

Forwarded Emails – Victim sends a forward, by meaw

A Hilarious Mail from a frustrated victim of chain mails

I wanted to thank all my friends and family who have forwarded chain letters to me in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and continuing it in 2009 also…….

Because of your kindness:

* I stopped drinking Coca Cola after I found out that it’s good for removing toilet stains.

* I stopped going to the movies for fear of sitting on a needle infected with AIDS.

* Forwarded hundreds of mails but still waiting for FREE DESKTOP, LAPTOP, CAMERA, CELLPHONE etc….

* I smell like a wet dog since I stopped using deodorants because they cause cancer…

* I don’t leave my car in the parking lot or any other place and sometimes I even have to walk about 7 blocks for fear that someone will drug me with a perfume sample and try to rob me.

* I also stopped answering the phone for fear that they may ask me to dial a stupid number and then I get a phone bill with calls to Uganda, Pakistan, Singapore and Tokyo.

* I also stopped drinking anything out of a Can for fear that I will get sick from the rat faeces and urine.

* When I go to parties, I don’t look at any girl, no matter how hot she is, for fear that she will take me to a hotel, drug me, then take my kidneys and leave me taking a nap in a bathtub full of ice.

* I also donated all my savings to the Amy Bruce account. A sick girl that was about to die in the hospital about 7,000 times… (Poor girl! she’s been 7 since 1993…)

* Still open to help somebody from Nigeria who wants to use my account to transfer his uncle’s property of $ 100 million. So much trustworthy.
* I have forwarded 35 emails to 400 people hoping that Ericsson or Nokia will send me latest mobile phones but those models are also obsolete now.
* Made some Hundred wishes before forwarding those Ganesh , Tirupathi Balaji pics etc… Now most of those ‘Wishes’ are already married (to someone else)

NOW IMPORTANT NOTE:

If you do not send this e-mail to at least 11,246 people in the next 10 seconds, a bird will Pee on your head tomorrow by 12:30 PM.

Nothing has happened till now…………………. but who knows. So please forward.

Forwarded, But no Luck: It's your Karma--they say in the spiritual lingo!!!

Here is Wisdom of the Wise.
The following information posted by Linn Barringer @ PLEASE don't forward hoax virus warnings:

"And if you expected that "some good luck will befall you if you pass it it on..." think on...

I did what you told me...
I sent the email to 10 people, like you said.
I'm still waiting for that miracle to happen..."

Continue reading

Making Etiquette Easy: To Forward or not to Forward

Do and Don't; To click or not to click; To do it with courtesy or just blunt way; all the above requires a guiding light. An expert in strategic communications, Susan K. Medina, shares her wisdom:

"In a time where digital junk mail can rival the tangible pieces in your mailbox, the practice of clicking ‘forward’ has become the norm. No matter how funny the jokes are or how pressing the matter seems to be, it’s important to ask, “Do I really want to forward this email?” Here are a few things to keep in mind:

If the contents of the email are in any way libelous, offensive, racist, obscene, or inappropriate, your mouse should be racing for the ‘delete’ button. It is much better to verbalize what you heard later than to send it—in writing—in a public format for both obvious professional and legal reasons."

Continue reading the experiences of the wise

LinkedIn – To Forward or Not to Forward an Introduction?

Another type of interesting emails. A decision making point (some may say who cares). The Question is: To accept, or deny the next click? You know the sender (causally, personally, colleague, choices, interests, attitude, personality) / You know the receiver (causally, personally, colleague, choices, interests, attitude, personality) ? Here is a wise word from a Linkedin Expert:

But I’ve just come to a conclusion: No introductions anymore. At least no introductions that are initiated by others. Why such a hard stance? Because when I make introductions, I make them strategically, based on a win-win scenario. I decide that X needs to meet Y because it will be great for both of them. But when someone requests an introduction, chances are they’re trying to sell something to the person they want to meet – to my contact – and that makes me a conduit of SPAM. Yes, spam… and you know how I feel about that. continue reading