Wikipedia’s definition of a virus hoax fits perfectly to a recent email question posed by one of my clients on an email she received:

computer virus hoax is a message warning the recipient of a non-existent computer virus threat. The message is usually a chain e-mail that tells the recipient to forward it to everyone they know.

The contents of the fake virus warning are below, warning that everyone is going to receive a doomsday card from Hallmark with a nasty virus attached to it!  The message even claims that an advanced programmer who used to work for Microsoft verified that this note is legit!!!  These type of notes are tactics to generate spam and fear.  No reason for them whatsoever.

The same advice I give to all my clients about these types of notes applies and they are backed by recommendations by several of the large antivirus vendors such as F-Secure and McAfee:

Do not forward hoax messages.

Hoax warnings are typically scare alerts started by malicious people – and passed on by innocent individuals that think they are helping the community by spreading the warning.

Corporate users can get rid of the hoax problem by simply setting a strict company guideline: End users must not forward virus alarms. Ever. It’s not the job of an end user anyway. If such message is received, end users could forward it to the IT department but not to anyone else

We are advising users who receive the email to delete it and DO NOT pass it on as this is how an email HOAX propagates

I’m including the contents of this hoax here for your reference.  Please take caution and do not forward these types of notes automatically.  If you have a questionable email, feel free to forward it to your resident technology expert at P3C Technologies!

Subject: READ – DO NOT DELETE
ALERT
FYI TO ALL.
Dave’s brother is a very advanced programmer who does computer work
for a living and has a high up status with Microsoft. He doesn’t
send these if they aren’t real. If he says this is for real, it for
sure is. Be aware.
VIRUS COMING !
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 your contacts ASAP.
PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS!
You should be alert 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 of your computer.
This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail
address in his/her contact list. This 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 a mail called’ POSTCARD,’ even though 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.
COPY THIS E-MAIL, AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS.
REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US

Subject: READ – DO NOT DELETE
ALERT
FYI TO ALL.
Dave’s brother is a very advanced programmer who does computer workfor a living and has a high up status with Microsoft. He doesn’tsend these if they aren’t real. If he says this is for real, it forsure is. Be aware.
VIRUS COMING !
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 sentaround to your contacts ASAP.PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS!

You should be alert during the next few days. Do not open anymessage with an attachment entitled POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK, regardlessof who sent it to you. It is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE,which ‘burns’ the whole hard disc C of your computer.
This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mailaddress in his/her contact list. This is the reason why you need tosend 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 a mail called’ POSTCARD,’ even though sent to you bya friend, do not open it! Shut down your computer immediately. This isthe worst virus announced by CNN.
It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virusever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is norepair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys theZero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.
COPY THIS E-MAIL, AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS.
REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US