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F-Secure Hoax Information Pages: Email Tracking
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| Radar |
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Summary
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| Bill Gates Email Tracking is a hoax. |
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Detailed Description
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This is a chain letter. Although this one is not related to viruses at all, we list it here as it has become seriously widespread. Here is an example of the chain letter.
Subject: PLEASE READ! YOULL BE GLAD YOU DID!
Tracklog@microsoft.com/Track883432/~TraceActive/On.html
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 unitl
it has been released to the general public.
Your friend,
Bill Gates & The Microsoft Development Team.
Another widespread variant of the hoax:
Subject: FW: PLEEEEEASE READ!!!!! It was on the news!
SORRY EVERYBODY.....JUST HAD TO TAKE THE CHANCE!!!
I'm an attorney, and I know the law. This thing is for real.
Rest assured
AOL and Intel will follow through with their promises for fear of
facing a multimillion dollar class action suit similar to the one
filed by PepsiCo against General Electric not too long ago.
Dear Friends,
Please do not take this for a junk letter. Bill Gates is sharing his
fortune. If you ignore this you will repent later. Microsoft and AOL
are now the largest Internet companies and in an effort to make sure
that Internet Explorer remains the most widely used program, Microsoft
and AOL are running an e-mail beta test. When you forward this e-mail
to friends, Microsoft can and will track it (if you are a Microsoft
Windows user) for a two week time period. For every person that you
forward this e-mail to, Microsoft will pay you $245.00, for every
person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you
$243.00 and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid
$241.00. Within two weeks, Microsoft will contact you for your
address and then send you a cheque.
Regards.
XXX
I thought this was a scam myself, but two weeks after receiving this
e-mail and forwarding it on, Microsoft contacted me for my address and
within days, I received a cheque for US$24,800.00. You need to
respond before the beta testing is over. If anyone can afford this
Bill Gates is the man. It's all marketing expense to him. Please
forward this to as many people as possible. You are bound to get at
least US$10,000.00. We're not going to help them out with their
e-mail beta test without getting a little something for our time. My
brother's girlfriend got in on this a few months ago. When I went to
visit him for the Baylor/UT game. She showed me her check. It was
for the sum of $4,324.44 and was stamped "Paid In Full". Like I said
before, I know the law, and this is for real. Try it, what have you
got to lose????
This is a complete hoax. There is no way to track e-mail like this. Do not forward the message. |
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F-Secure Corporation |
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Last Modified: January 01, 2006
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