Related Articles • Hoax Encyclopedia • Toxic excuses • Combination hoaxes • FW: FW: FW: hoax • The high cost of hoaxes • The hoax that cried virus • JDBGMRG.EXE hoax About Antivirus Software Subscribe to the Free Newsletter Your Email Address:

!0000 Trick

A misguided attempt to be helpful. While part of the tip has limited merit, the remainder of the advice causes the entire idea to self-destruct. Even worse, it could lead to compromise of your email. The text of one such email follows:

>  Subject: Stop the spread of pc viruses great little trick! 
> --------------------------------------------------------------- Here's 
> a little trick you can use to stop the spread of pc viruses - 
> 
> Naturally this doesn't deal with the issue of the fact that viruses 
> exist in the first place, but it does help you protect your Email 
> software and  contact list...Create a contact in your email address 
> book with the name !0000 with no email address in the details. This 
> contact will then show up as your first contact. If a virus attempts 
> to do a "send all" on your contact list, your pc will pop up an error 
> message saying that: "The Message could not be sent. One or more 
> recipients do not have an e-mail address. Please check your address 
> Book and make sure all the recipients  have a valid e-mail address." 
> You click on OK and the offending (virus) message would not have been 
> sent to anyone. Of course no changes have been made to your original 
> contacts list. The offending (virus) message may then be automatically 
> stored in your "Drafts" or "Outbox" folder. Go in there and delete the 
> offending message. Problem is solved and virus will not spread. Try 
> this and pass on to your email contacts. 
> This little trick can save a lot of trouble later, 
> 
> This also works with any name as long as there isn't an email 
> address.  Point to make:  Some email programs won't allow you to make 
> a new 
> contact without an email address associated with the name, so I create 
> a ficticious addy like !0000@novirus.com to apply to those email 
> programs. DJ Weininger 
> WebMaster 
> Road Runner 
> Newburgh,NY