Home Office: How to Spot an E-Mail Hoax

Missing children, e-mail tax, gravity-defying water balloons.

Steve Bass

"Hey, Bass, you know if this thing's legit?" It's my crackerjack editor, forwarding an e-mail he got and clearly testing my patience. His forward starts this way:

"I am asking you all, begging you to please, forward this email on to anyone and everyone you know, PLEASE. I have a 5 year old son named Christopher John Mineo, Jr., nickname C.J. I am from Brooklyn N.Y. He has been missing since May 11 2001..."

Tugs at your heartstrings, no? You look at the picture of little Johnny and it makes you want to cry. Hey, I know, how about FORWARDING THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW?!!

Unfortunately, my editor and everyone else I know usually forward it to me, asking if it's a hoax. And it drives me nuts.

So in this and next week's column, I'm going to do two things: Get you up to speed on some of the current hoaxes floating around, then show you a few of the more dangerous scams.

Dig this: You've heard of the O'Reilly "In a Nutshell" books? It's a legitimate company with worthwhile books--and a sense of humor. Check out its page of cover spoofs.

Welcome to Hoaxland

Here are five of the more popular deceptions:

Christopher John Mineo, Jr.: The e-mail I talked about at the start of the column is a hoax. The kid was never missing; in fact, it's unlikely he ever existed. Read the entire message, the story, and the rationale behind why it's not true at Snopes.

E-Mail Tax: This gem comes in cycles. I hadn't been asked about it for months, then last week it was back in full strength. Neither Congress nor the U.S. Postal Service has any plans for taxing your e-mail messages. OTOH, I imagine if we taxed everyone a buck for each lame joke sent, we could balance the budget. Want details? Zip over to TruthOrFiction.com, an excellent site.

Jdbgmgr.exe: The top hoax a few weeks ago warned you to delete Jdbgmgr.exe from your system because it is supposedly a virus sent automatically by Microsoft Messenger--but it is actually a necessary Java file. We wrote about this hoax in "Virus Hoax Spreads by E-Mail."

Sulfnbk.exe: This nasty little number took even bright people by surprise. Unfortunately, it still does. Like Jdbgmgr.exe, the hoax explains that Sulfnbk.exe is a virus. (It isn't; it's a legit file on your PC that's used for fixing long file names.) Then the message provides step-by-step instructions on removing the alleged virus. If you fell for it, or know someone who did, you'll want to read--and maybe even print out--"Undoing the Damage Done by Virus Hoax," which talks you through the quick recovery.

A Card for You: Oh, my, it's the "WORST VIRUS EVER!!!...CNN ANNOUNCED IT. PLEASE SEND THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!!" The message goes on to proclaim "a new virus has just been discovered that has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive ever!!!!" (About the only thing Microsoft has sent out that's been that destructive is Win ME, but that's another story.) Don't fall for this one either. Go to Sophos for the details.

Take a Break: It's July, so why not stop for a minute to check out "Summer Games for Your PC," our collection of top hits for a hot summer.

News You Can Use

Hewlett-Packard is making some big changes in its printer line, changes that may have an impact on your home-office buying decisions. My advice? Read Tom Spring's "HP Unveils Printers in Product Line Overhaul."

I know you want to read more about hoaxes, frauds, and scams. In December, my buddy Scott Spanbauer complied a list of "The Worst Internet Hoaxes." His article includes the dumbest one of all: the message from a Nigerian government official who has millions waiting for you.

Dig this: The Water Balloon Series is a set of videos taken by NASA's Micro Gravity team while in a low-gravity environment produced aboard a NASA Lewis DC-9 aircraft. These fascinating videos give you an opportunity to see your tax dollars at work. All the pictures came from NASA's Micro Gravity page. You can download them from PCWorld.com's Downloads section.

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