Lump of coal
The following is the text usually shown in the Lump of coal hoax email. There may be other variations on a similar theme, as well as
other language versions.
Hoax text
Warning on December 25, 1999 you may receive an email called, Lump of
Coal...do not open it, it contains a deadly virus...it will erase your
windows along with many other program files. Pass this on as soon as
you can to get the WORD out!!!
This is not a hoax....this was reported on the CBS morning news August
20,1999. Watch out for this one.
VB reminds users: if you receive a virus warning message, do not forward the message to all your friends/colleagues, as it may suggest in the text. If you have verified that the message is a hoax, simply delete it. If you are unsure, forward the message to your IT administrator. Failing that, forward it to hoax@virusbtn.com. It is possible that you may receive a hoax email with a file attachment. Since it is possible that these attachments could be infected VB advises such files to be be treated with the same caution as any other unexpected message attachment and urges users not to open them.
