Just received

[Psybbo]

an e-mail, purporting to have originated from someone in Microft, extract below.

You should be alert during the next few days. Do not open any message with an attachment <br/> <br/> entitled POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK , regardless of who sent it to you. <br/> <br/> It is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which 'burns' the whole hard disc C of your computer

Is this for real or just a false alarm?
Thanks

[Psybbo]

Microsoft^

[sir.prize]

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_postcard_virus.htm

[Nibble]

See here, sib...

http://antivirus.about.com/od/emailhoaxes/p/postcard.htm

[i]Remember: Hoaxes are a waste of both time and money. Do your friends and family a real favor and please don't forward them on to others. And if you are tempted to forward something 'just in case', read the article Toxic Excuses instead.[i]

HOAX, sib :0)

[Psybbo]

Thanks Sir.prize, I thought as much

[Psybbo]

Hi nibble, why on earth do people send these round?

[Nibble]

Usually, because they're otherwise known as "spammers", "trolls" and "scams", and they have small lives to fulfill.

[Nibble]

^ Or others because the user panics when they receive the "alert", and then send it to everybody in their contacts list, which helps the hoaxer in fulfilling their wish, i.e annoying the day out of victims.

[VHG]

>>>>why on earth do people send these round?

Because often the email says something like "send this to all your friends" so like sheep they "obey" the email and do it.

A good rule is if the email says something like "send this to all your contacts" it is a good reason NOT to do it.