Issue 39 - Hoax-Slayer Newsletter

Issue 39: 23rd September, 2004

This week in Hoax-Slayer:

ShadowCrew.com Terrorist Prank Email
Hoax-Slayer FAQ's (Part Two)
Virus Report: Weekly Virus Wrap-Up
Badtimes Hoax Spoof
Highly Recommended Email Newsletters
Reader's Links

Hoax-Slayer is a Free Monthly Web-Based Newsletter brought to you by Brett Christensen

The Hoax-Slayer Newsletter keeps you informed about the latest email hoaxes and current Internet scams. Hoax-Slayer also features anti-spam tips, computer security information, pertinent articles and more.

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ShadowCrew.com Terrorist Prank Email

Shadowcrew.com is yet again the target of pranksters. The site has endured a variety of prank emails over the last few months. The latest offering claims that Shadowcrew.com is selling a "large selection of bombs and different kinds of rockets". The information contained in this email is completely false and should be disregarded.

Another disturbing hoax email targeted Shadowcrew.com earlier in the year. In this instance the email masqueraded as a bill from Shadowcrew for three months access to child pornography. Yet another prank email targeting Shadowcrew.com claimed to be an account suspension notice from eBay.

The motivation for these prank emails is not clear. It may be an attempt by disgruntled users to discredit the Shadowcrew.com site or simply a misguided attempt at humour. In a world gripped by the continuing threat of terrorism, the email is in exceedingly poor taste, whatever the underlying motive.

Similar prank emails have targeted another website, DarkProfits.com.

Welcome to our web site
www.shadowcrew.com/phpBB2/index.php

Please use http://63.240.81.5 in case of our domain outage.

You're invited to shop for large selection of bombs and different kinds of rockets such as surface-to-air, surface-to-surface and weaponry available at reduced price. With the following types of rockets you will be able to commit terrorist attacks, destroy buildings, electric power stations, bridges, factories and anything else that comes your mind. Most items are in stock and available for next day freight delivery in the USA. Worldwide delivery is available at additional cost. Prices are negotiable.

Please feel free to inquire by ICQ # 176928755 or contacting us directly:

+1-305-592-2222
+1-919-319-8249
+1-314-770-3395

Today special:

******* AIR BOMBS *******
OFAB-500U HE fragmentation air bomb
Fuel-air explosive air bombs -Not in stock
BETAB-500U concrete-piercing air bomb
ZB-500RT incendiary tank
500-KG SIZE RBK-500U unified cluster bomb
RBK-500U OAB-2.5PT loaded with fragmentation submunitions
RBK-500U BETAB-M loaded with concrete-piercing submunitions-Not in stock
RBK-500U OFAB-50UD loaded with HE fragmentation submunitions

******* UNGUIDED AIRCRAFT ROCKETS *******
Main-purpose unguided aircraft rockets
S-8 unguided aircraft rockets
S-8KOM
S-8BM-Not in stock
S-13 unguided aircraft rockets
S-13, S-13T, S-13-OF, S-13D, S-13DF
S-25-0
S-25-OFM
S-24B -Not in stock
RS-82
RS-132-Not in stock

******* ROCKET PODS *******
B-8M pod for S-8 rockets
B-8V20-A pod for S-8 rockets
B-13L pod for S-13 rockets
Recently received *NEW*

Hydra 70 2.75 inch Rockets
Air-Launched 2.75-Inch Rockets
FIM-92A Stinger Weapons System
Stinger 101: Anti-Air

Our clients are well known Al-Qaida, Hizballah, Al-Jihad, HAMAS, Abu Sayyaf Group and many other terrorist groups. We are well known supplier in the market and looking forward to expand our clientage with assistance of Internet.

Do not hesitate to contact us via ICQ # 176928755

Impatiently awaiting for your orders,
ShadowCrew

Discuss This Story

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Hoax-Slayer FAQ's (Part Two)

Every week I receive a great many enquires about scams and hoaxes. Since many enquiries, and their answers, cover the same material, I have condensed them into a set of Frequently Asked Questions. Last week I covered the most common types of scam enquires. This week and next week I will cover those email hoaxes that are the most common subjects of enquires.

Q: I received a message that says that Bill Gates of Microsoft is conducting a test and that I will get money if I forward the email to my friends. Could this be true?

A: No, this is an old hoax that has seen many versions. There is no test, the email is not being tracked and you will not receive money for forwarding the email. The email should be deleted.

Find out more about the Money from Microsoft Hoax

Q: I received an email that says I probably have a virus called jdbgmgr.exe and explains how to find and delete the virus. The virus has a small teddy bear icon. I *did* find the file. Should I delete it?

A: No, DO NOT delete the file. The email is a hoax. Jdbgmgr.exe is a legitimate Windows file and is *not* a virus. Although it a legitimate file, your computer will still run normally without it, so if you have already deleted the file DON'T PANIC! Click the link below for details.

Find out more about the Teddy Bear Virus Hoax

Q: I received an email warning that claims HIV infected needles are being deliberately left on theater seats / on gas pump handles / in phone booth coin returns. Is this true?

A: No, this is an old hoax that has seen many variations. Occasionally, syringes are found in places where they could cause injury to unsuspecting members of the public. However, there is no evidence that the callous and deliberate terror campaign outlined in these hoax emails has ever occurred.

Read More about the HIV Needle Hoax

Q: I received an email claiming that a large quantity of UPS uniforms has been bought on eBay and that criminals or terrorists posing as delivery drivers could use the uniforms. Is this true?

A: No, this is a hoax that has spawned quite a number of versions. There have been no reports of large eBay purchases of UPS uniforms, nor have large quantities of uniforms been reported stolen. The information in the email is false and should be disregarded.

Read more about the UPS Uniforms Hoax

Q: I was sent an email that claims that criminals lurking in parking areas are using drugs disguised as perfume to debilitate and rob victims. Any truth in this one?

A: This is a hoax, although it may have originated from a real event. There are several versions of the hoax set in different countries. In 1999, a woman claimed to have been assaulted and robbed by assailants who used a debilitating substance disguised as perfume. The story soon made its way to the Internet and spread rapidly as a "warning", even though there were no reported cases of such attacks happening again. In fact, even the original story may have been untrue.

Read more about the Perfume Email Hoax

Q:I was forwarded a message that claims that a little girl called Amy Bruce is dying of lung cancer and a brain tumor and that the Make A Wish Foundation will donate money when the email is forwarded. Is this true?

A: No, this is a hoax. There is no 7-year-old Amy Bruce who is dying of both lung cancer and a brain tumor. Legitimate charities or companies would not donate money based on how many times an email is forwarded. There are several hoaxes like this one that claim that money will be donated every time an email is forwarded. All are false. The email, and others like it, should be deleted.

Read more about the Amy Bruce Charity Hoax
Read more about other Charity Hoaxes

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Virus Report: Weekly Virus Wrap-Up

Top virus threats at the moment are variants of the MyDoom and Beagle worms. Symantec has removal tools available for these worms. For more information, follow the links below:

W32.Mydoom@mm Removal Tool
W32.Beagle@mm Removal Tool

Three basic steps to protect your computer from virus threats:

Install and use anti-virus software. If buying AV software is a problem there are quite adequate free scanners available. One such free product is AVG.
Regularly update your virus scanner. Even the most reliable and sophisticated anti-virus software is virtually useless against new viruses if it doesn't have the most current definitions available.
Be very wary of email attachments even if they are from people you know and trust. Some viruses can attach and send themselves to your email address in such a way that you may believe your are receiving an email from a friend or colleague. This is called "spoofing". Read an article about spoofing

Discuss Virus and Security Issues

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Badtimes Hoax Spoof

This email is actually a spoof of an old hoax. The email makes fun of the old GoodTimes virus hoax that filled inboxes a few years ago.

Possibly, its writer penned it in an effort to debunk the original hoax in a humorous way. Unfortunately, the spoof itself has spawned many versions, some of which have been abridged to the point that people once again believe they are legitimate warnings.

I think there is some irony in there somewhere (grin).

In another stange twist, pop group, Laika, have used the words from this hoax email as the lyrics to one of their singles, a move that may help to educate the general public about virus hoaxes. In any case, Laika's musical version of the hoax makes for a good song.

If you receive an e-mail with a subject line of "Badtimes," delete it immediately WITHOUT reading it. This is the most dangerous Email virus yet.

It will re-write your hard drive. Not only that, but it will s cramble any disks that are even close to your computer. It will recalibrate your refrigerator's coolness setting so all your ice cream melts and milk curdles . It will demagnetize the strips on all your credit cards, reprogram your ATM access code, screw up the tracking on your VCR and use subspace field harmonics to scratch any CDs you try to play.

It will give your ex-boy/girlfriend your new phone number. It will mix antifreeze into your fish tank. It will drink all your beer and leave its dirty socks on the coffee table when there's company coming over.

It will hide your car keys when you are late for work and interfere with your car radio so that you hear only static while stuck in traffic.

Badtimes will make you fall in love with a hardened pedophile. It will give you nightmares about circus midgets. It will replace your shampoo with Nair and your Nair with Rogaine, all while dating your current boy/girlfriend behind your back and billing their hotel rendezvous to your Visa card.

It will seduce your grandmother. It does not matter if she is dead, such is the power of Badtimes, it reaches out beyond the grave to sully those things we hold most dear.

Badtimes will give you Dutch Elm disease. It will leave the toilet seat up and leave the hairdryer plugged in dangerously close to a full bathtub. It will wantonly remove the forbidden tags from your mattresses and pillows, and refill your skim milk with whole. It is insidious and subtle. It is dangerous and terrifying to behold. It is also a rather interesting shade of mauve.

Be very, very afraid. PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!

One version of the original Good Times virus hoax:

The FCC released a warning last Wednesday concerning a matter of major importance to any regular user of the InterNet. Apparently, a new computer virus has been engineered by a user of America Online that is unparalleled in its destructive capability. Other, more well-known viruses such as Stoned, Airwolf, and Michaelangelo pale in comparison to the prospects of this newest creation by a warped mentality.

What makes this virus so terrifying, said the FCC, is the fact that no program needs to be exchanged for a new computer to be infected. It can be spread through the existing e-mail systems of the InterNet. Once a computer is infected, one of several things can happen. If the computer contains a hard drive, that will most likely be destroyed. If the program is not stopped, the computer's processor will be placed in an nth-complexity infinite binary loop - which can severely damage the processor if left running that way too long.Unfortunately, most novice computer users will not realize what is happening until it is far too late.

Discuss This Story

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Highly Recommended Email Newsletters

One of the great things about the Internet is that there are so many quality email newsletters available for free. There are email newsletters that deal with just about any subject you could think of. Subscribing to email newsletters is a great way to stay informed about an area of interest, increase your knowledge or just brighten up your inbox.

I subscribe to many newsletter, but three of my all time my favourites are listed below.

The Langa List:
Fred Langa offers an excellent twice weekly newsletter that provides a lot of very useful information about computers and the Internet.

This is True:
This is True features strange and interesting news items from around the world and is written by humorist Randy Cassingham.

True Stella Awards:
Also by Randy Cassingham, the True Stella Awards is an excellent and informative ezine that reports on wild, outrageous, or ridiculous lawsuits.

Go a favourite email newsletter? Let others know about it.

Discuss This Story

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Reader's Links

Hoax-Slayer Newsletter subscribers who link to Hoax-Slayer can get a link featured in the newsletter as well on this page.

Please check out the following links from other subscibers:

Windows XP Central:
A Windows XP Support Group that offers help for Windows XP Pro/Home users

Computer Tricks and Tips: A very friendly computer support group that aims to provide computer help for anyone who may need it.