I went back to the site and the postcard from a family member was the one I
looked at and it is a real virus. Now whether it is the most insidious ever I
couldnt say! Peace Jay


On Tue Feb 12 11:57 , John Mayer sent:

>
>Did you read my entire response? The REAL Snopes page said "an "Olympic Torch"
virus warning (also known as the "Invitation virus"). [emphasis added] The "most
destructive virus ever" line is enough to identify this as a hoax. The REAL
Snopes page actually identifies this as the Invitation (aka Olympic Torch, aka
Merry Christmas) hoax, with the word "Invitation"
first. http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/invitation.asp You'll also note that
the wording of the latest hoax warning is almost exactly the same as the earlier
one, which has been, as Snopes tells us, circulating for years. The link to the
actual Snopes site is in the paragraph above. You can click on it, or to be more
certain, you can go directly to the Snopes site - just do a search - and use
their search engine to find the "Invitation" hoax. I seem to have already
discarded the original letter, but the hoaxster can attach a link to any page he
wants; spoof letters often do this to direct the unwary to webpages that look
very much like that of PayPal or some other online business to get you to reveal
to them your bank account numbers, passwords and the like. Since I can't go back
and check this URL I don't know if this was a spoof page or if, instead, it was
just a link to some actual virus. You can also actually CHECK the McAfee page
where you will find no frantic warnings of "the most destructive virus ever."
Here are the REAL viruses that are of current
concern: VBS/Autorun.worm VBS/Autorun.worm.auExploit-PDF.b
Phish-MSUpdate.eml.fExploit-PDF.a W32/Virut.j No mention of a "most destructive
ever" Invitation virus. In fact, they also have a hoax virus page; I've added
their debunking of the original version of this hoax at the bottom. As I said,
I've already deleted the original letter, but you'll notice the text is almost
the same, with just a few changes including renaming the virus. McAfee makes
these comments about hoax viruses: Virus HoaxesThere are a lot of viruses out
there. But some aren't really out there at all. Virus hoaxes are more than mere
annoyances, as they may lead some users to routinely ignore all virus warning
messages, leaving them vulnerable to a genuine, destructive virus. Next time you
receive an urgent virus warning message, be sure to check the list of known
virus hoaxes below.Remember: Never open an email attachment unless you know what
it is—even if it's from someone you know and trust.That is to say, always double
check. Unless you have a Mac; then you can pretty much relax. It just so happens
I got an actual invitation the same week I got this warning and, if I'd taken it
to heart, I'd have missed a chance to get together with some good friends.At any
rate, if this is "the most destructive virus ever" and if, in fact, McAfee warns
there is "no repair yet for this kind of virus, then we can expect to see news
reports of the destruction wrought by it, as we do all major viruses. Let's just
see, shall we? 
>On Feb 12, 2008, at 9:27 AM, dreamgardens@... wrote:Hello,The warning I
got had nothing to do with olympic torches but with postcards and invitations. 
I actually went to the snopes site and it is indeed real. Jay
>
> On Mon Feb 11 13:11 , John Mayer  sent:
>
>Thanks for trying to help your friends, Chi Chen, but no... it's not real. This
is the same Olympic Torch hoax that's been circulating since the LAST summer
olympics; I guess it's appropriate once again with another Olympics on the way.
One clue that this is hoax is the following excerpt:On Feb 11, 2008, at 6:41 AM,
Chi-Chen Cheng wrote:This is the worst virus announced by CNN. It has been
classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This is an effort by
the hoaxsters to stir recipients to action; ALL hoax viruses are the worst ever.
One way to check whether this has REALLY been vetted by Snopes is to go to
Snopes and see; not click on a link in the same hoax letter. This link looks
real, alright, but it directly contradicts what Snopes says if you go straight
to Snopes home page and look for this virus. If I'd taken this seriously I'd
have missed an invitation to a Valentine's Day party. So even "harmless" hoaxes
can do harm. Happily, I don't have to worry about viruses; I have a Mac.Here's
what Snopes REALLY says:   
>
>
>    Home --> Computers --> Virus Hoaxes & Realities --> Invitation/Olympic
Torch Virus Invitation/Olympic Torch VirusVirus:   Invitation (aka Olympic
Torch, aka Merry Christmas) Status:   Hoax. Examples:    [Collected via e-mail,
2006] WARNING You should be alert during the next days: Do not open any message
with an attached filed called "Invitation" regardless of who sent it. It is a
virus         
>   that opens an Olympic Torch 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, that is why you should 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 "invitation", though sent by a
friend, do not open it and 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. SEND THIS E-MAIL
TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW, COPY THIS E-MAIL AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS AND REMEMBER:
IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US 
>
>[Collected via e-mail, November 2007] VIRUS ALERT!! You should be alert during
the next days: Do not open any message with an attached file called "Merry
Christmas" regardless of who sent it, It is a virus that opens as an Open Log
Fire and will burn the whole hard disc in your computer. This virus will be
received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list, that
is why you should 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 "Merry Christmas", though sent by a friend, do not open it and shut
down your computer immediately. This is the worst virus announced, 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    Origins:   The classics never go away, it seems, so
just in time for the 2006 Winter Olympics someone has dusted off an old virus
warning hoax (most commonly seen in its incarnation as the "[Virtual] Card for
You" hoax) and reintroduced it as an "Olympic Torch" virus warning (also known
as the "Invitation virus"). The bottom line is that this same basic hoax has
been circulating in various languages since at least 2000, with occasional
changes along the way. No such (incurable) virus exists, has been identified by
McAfee, or was reported on by CNN. The 2007 "Merry Christmas" variant of the
Invitation/Olympic Torch hoax should not be confused with the (real) Zafi.D worm
from 2004, which did spread via attachments to messages bearing subject lines of
"Merry Christmas" but is now rare and easily caught and eliminated by most
anti-virus software products.  Additional information:     
> A Virtual Card for You Hoax (McAfee)    Last updated:   27 November 2007 The
URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/invitation.aspUrban
Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2008by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson This
material may not be reproduced without permission. 
> Top 2008 Antivirus Review Compare Top Antivirus Software. Read Reviews &
Compare Ratings. StarReviews.com Virus Removal The Ultimate Guide for Virus
Removal VirusesRemoval.com
>This email message is just a HOAX, currently we know of no other message that
the user will receive about the HOAX as the initial email states. McAfee AVERT
has not received any report of a user's hard drive being erased for opening the
email.The Olympic Torch Hoax first surfaced in February, 2006, just days before
the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Winter Games in Turin.It is a slightly
revised version of a virus hoax circulating since 2000, known as "A Virtual Card
for You " or "Destroys Sector Zero " 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.Below
is the actual text from the message that may be received via email.Please read
the attached warning issued today.PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS,
FAMILY AND CONTACTS:You should be alert during the next days:Do not open any
message with an attached filed called "Invitation" regardless of who sent it .It
is a virus that opens an Olympic Torch 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, that is why you should 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 "invitation", though sent by a
friend, do not open it and 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.SEND THIS E-MAIL TO
EVERYONE YOU KNOW, COPY THIS E-MAIL AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS AND REMEMBER: IF
YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US.