How to Spot a Virus Hoax Identifying Real Virus Warnings

Even if the source of a virus warning seems reliable, you'll still want to look for the red flags that signal a virus message is a fake before you pass it on to others. Senders of hoaxes want to panic you, so they'll play on your fears by threatening such things as the total annihilation of your hard drive. The more exclamation points (!!!) and WORDS IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS that are in the message, the more likely it is that the warning is false.

Both real and fake virus warnings threaten the loss, corruption, or misuse of your data. Some may sound less realistic than others -- for example, chances are slim that any virus would send all of your personal financial files to the attention of the IRS. But virus programmers can be clever folks. So, how do you know for sure if a virus warning is fake?

Read about virus hoaxes here