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When I get an email about a virus, I google a bit of the message text which purports to 'describe' the behavior and risks of the virus. Then I click on any search results from a reputable anti-virus website like Symantec.
Nine times out of 10, it's a virus hoax.
Sometimes I take the trouble to email the sender, and a few people in the chain, and let him know he was hoaxed. I usually get a thank you and sometimes an "oh I see now".
I don't think people generally have enough knowledge about software to evaluate these "threats". Fry your hard drive? Endorsed by Microsoft? Send to everyone you know?
Let's not be dupes or fools. Check out virus "warnings" and don't pass any on unless you verify it.
I'm a computer professional with 25 years experience. The guy who works down the hall from me at my Fortune 500 company is in charge of all anti-virus software for 5,000 employees. I think I can assert that I know what I'm talking about here. --Uncle Ed 15:21, 25 November 2006 (UTC)
It would make sense if List of computer virus hoaxes were merged into Virus hoax, as this article is quite small and is unlikely to increase much, and List of computer virus hoaxes is not huge, so they would complement each other.
Or merge the other way round. Either way, they would be better in the same article. Croxley 20:30, 25 February 2007 (UTC)
I agree completely. It makes little sense to have two separate articles for this. --Mjjohansen 18:19, 28 March 2007 (UTC)
I agree as well. Zainub 12:41, 14 April 2007 (UTC)
Someone added an internal link to Virus Alert, which is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic, to the "See Also" section and put it on top of the list. I think this item is highly irrelevant, so I put it down to the bottom of the See Also list. But actually, it is totally legitimate to remove this link at all. What do you think? Tonyngkh (talk) 22:20, 21 April 2009 (UTC)
I've done a redirect from Windows Technical Department and Windows Technical Department phone scam to Telemarketing fraud, but wonder if this article is a more appropriate destination. For those unfamiliar with this scam, it basically goes as follows. Someone (usually from the Indian subcontinent) calls, giving a Western name and claiming to be from the Windows Technical Department. After informing the recipient that he/she has downloaded a virus, they offer to remove it for a small fee, then ask to connect to the recipient's PC. Agreeing to this would cause all manner of problems. Paul MacDermott (talk) 14:22, 8 January 2013 (UTC)