Hoax Email Definition

Phony email warning about a computer virus or other threat

Hoax warnings are typically ‘scare alerts’ started by malicious people and passed on by users who think they are helping the community by spreading the warning. The most common hoax is the hoax virus. This usually consists of an email message warning recipients about a new and terribly destructive virus. It ends by suggesting that the reader should warn his or her friends and colleagues, perhaps by simply forwarding the original message to everyone in their address book. The result is a rapid proliferation of pointless emails that can overload systems. Many hoaxes circulate through email, such as the Good Times hoax, which is probably the best known.

View the list of Local Resources that can assist Internet users in South Africa.

Glossary of Terms

Adware Botnet Cracking Crimeware Cyberbullying Cybercrime Cyberstalking Cyberterrorism Data-Theft DoS-Attack Hacking Hoax-Email Identity-Theft Keylogging Madware Malware Pharming Phishing Ransomware Scareware Smishing Social-Engineering Spam Spyware Trojan Virus Vishing Website-Defacement Worm