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Once again, dear friends, into the breach. In the never-ending battle of the righteous against the forces of darkness, we are our own worst enemy. Well, OK, it may not be life and death, but then in some extreme cases it may be just that. What am I muttering about?
In a column published in June of last year, I concluded with the following paragraph: “The bottom line is; for crying out loud, listen to your father’s advice! (Or whoever the real adult in your life was). If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! If it sounds thoroughly nutso, trust your instincts. And for crying out loud, DON’T pass them on to a few thousand of your closest friends! Resist the temptation. Hit the delete key!”
It was true then, and it is true now. Please, please, please control your urge to be “the good guy” and pass along dire warnings of electronic disaster to every friend, acquaintance, and family member you ever had or hope to have. Not before personally checking on the accuracy of the supposed problem.
Case in point: another internet hoax warning of a virus/worm that will eat your hard-drive and destroy your computer, unless you RIGHT BY G-D NOW DELETE THIS HERE FILE (or words to that affect) (Red Flag #1).
You are now directed to look for a strange looking file name that makes no sense to you. And of course the file is a legitimate file that is part of the windows operating system. And like a good little netizen, you follow directions, delete the file, and pass the warning on to a few thousand of your closest friends.
You then get 900 replies telling you not to be a moron and don’t delete the blankety-blank file. Red-faced, you discover that your impulse to be helpful has resulted in one deleted file that may or may not be a needed file, and several of your gullible friends who depend on YOU to pass along accurate information have also deleted that file. And following your example and the directions of the HOAX passed the warning along “to everyone you know.” (Red Flag #2)
Oh, and of course you took your good-scout action because 1) you received the warning from someone you trust, and 2) the warning message claimed that some non-specific authority or expert confirmed the horrible nature of the problem. (Red Flag #3).
That is, someone’s second cousin’s, son’s girlfriend’s uncle, who works for IBM, Microsoft, Harvard, Department of Defense or (fill in the blank) said so and he/she/it is the world expert on this problem. (Red Flag #4).
Oh, brother.
So what is a good netizen to do? Before you ever pass along another dire warning of some disease, computer virus, or impending cosmic disaster, CHECK IT OUT YOURSELF. Please. Pretty please. Pretty please with sugar on top.
Go to the following websites and bookmark them. Brand them on your forehead. Tattoo them to the back of your hand. Do whatever you need to do to remember them.
Those five websites will cover just about any of the hoaxes out there. Before you succumb to the urge to be the “hero” check them out FIRST. You will save my aorta, and perhaps save yourself a few friendships!
You may have noted the “red flags” I highlighted above. Those, along with others, are typical of hoaxes and urban legends that get passed around.
Red Flag: “Take action now or else” or words to that affect.
Red Flag: An (usually) unspecified authority says to take the recommended action (delete jdbgmgr.exe for example) Check it out - http://vmyths.com/fas/fas1.cfm is a terrific report on the “False Authority Syndrome.” Follow their advice: don’t take MY word for all this. Go to the above sites to verify for yourself!
Red Flag: “Send this warning to everyone you know” or words to that affect. DON’T DO IT!
Finally, remember that hoaxes cost companies — and people — time and money. Lots of time and money. (In the case of the 419-Nigerian scams, victims have even lost their lives.) Please do not forward these hoaxes to others. Restrain yourself. Check them out first. You will feel a lot better about yourself, and my stomach lining will thank you! | 