Messages purporting to be from Yahoo, BT Internet and other email service providers claims that a DGTFX virus has been detected in the recipient's email folders and he or she must reply with account details or risk account deactivation.
For two or three frantic days in November, 2011, many Facebook News Feeds were hit by a wave of pornographic and violent images.This article is not about the spam attack itself but about how a series of inaccurate and misleading 'hacker' and 'virus' warnings, that circulated the network well before the attack, contributed greatly to the general confusion, and ultimately, just made matters worse.
Message claims that people can send Christmas greetings to wounded soldiers by addressing cards to "A Recovering American soldier" care of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Message circulating on Facebook warns users that, if they receive a video titled "Nobody can watch this for more than 15 seconds", they should delete it because the video is a virus that will allow their Facebook accounts to be hacked.
Message circulating via email and social media warns South African consumers not to buy Albany Bread because it has been poisoned by disgruntled staff.
Slideshow presentation claims that a friendly and thankful Great White Shark constantly follows a fisherman who once saves its life and the two have formed a "mutual affection".
Circulating social media message ask users to pray for the recovery of Jordon Mills. According to the message, Jordon is currently in intensive care due to "Chrons" and is in need of a miracle.
Message claims that, every time a text or social media message is sent on, AT&T, Verizon or Facebook will donate money to help pay for surgery on a 14 year old boy who was shot six times by his stepfather while attempting to protect his young sister.
Email, purporting to be from PayPal, claims that the recipient's account has been limited and that he or she must login via a link in the message to resolve the issue.
Circulating email warns that mobile phone numbers in Australia are "going public" next month and claims that consumers will be charged for calls made to them by telemarketing companies.
Message, purporting to be from the Facebook Security Team, claims that the recipient’s Facebook account may have been compromised and that he or she must follow a link to verify account details within 12 hours or risk having the account permanently suspended.
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New Way To Follow Hoax-Slayer
I've recently launched a Hoax-Slayer Page on Google's new social networking service, Google+. "Following" The page is a great way to stay updated about the latest scams and hoaxes. When a new article is published on Hoax-Slayer - or when an existing article is updated - a link to the article will be published on the Google+ Page. Followers can also comment or ask questions about the articles posted on the Page. The Google+ Page offers an alternative to the existing Hoax-Slayer Facebook Page.
