SR News: Bill Gates / Windows 98 Hoax Warning


The "The Bill Gates / Windows 98" Hoax!

This is not our usual virus hoax.

We don't normally warn about non-virus or trojan related hoaxes but we  have
been getting so many questions on this one that I'm posting  an  explanation
here. (There so many silly hoaxes on the internet, it would be impossible to
cover them all.) Generally messages that ask you to forward the  message  to
all your friends should be ignored as a hoax. Any message that says you  can
help a cause simply by replying to an unsolicited message should  be  viewed
with suspicion.

There a number of minor variations but the most common form of this hoax reads like this:

       Hello Everyone, And thank you for signing up for my Beta Email
       Tracking Application or (BETA) for short. My name is Bill Gates.
       Here at Microsoft we have just compiled an e-mail tracing program
       that tracks everyone to whom this message is forwarded to. It
       does this through an unique IP (Internet Protocol) address log
       book database.

       We are experimenting with this and need your help.  Forward this
       to everyone you know and if it reaches 1000 people everyone on
       the list you will receive $1000 and a copy of Windows98 at my
       expense.

       Enjoy.


       Note: Duplicate entries will not be counted. You will be notified
       by email with further instructions once this email has reached
       1000 people. Windows98 will not be shipped until it has been
       released to the general public.


       Your friend,
       Bill Gates & The Microsoft Development Team.

The classic forward this to "all your friends" is present above as a red flag indicating this is a hoax. This hoax has (I suppose) gotten
wider distribution than normal since people would like to believe that  Bill
Gates might send them $1000 and a copy of Windows 98.

Write to Stiller Research: support@stiller.com

                                     Copyright c 1998 Stiller Research.
                                   Document Last Modified March 18, 1998.

[=- 㡫  ୠ ᪨ 蠫 //  #2 //  1998  -=]
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