Hoaxes On The Internet

7. Join The Crew - Hoax

Summary
Typical Letter Contents
Support/Verification

Summary
Email with a subject of JOIN THE CREW contain dangerous, self-replicating viruses which will do nasty things to you and your friends, but only if you open them.

Typical Letter Contents

WARNING!!!!!!!

If you receive an e-mail titiled..JOIN THE CREW... /for PENPALS DO NOT open it!!!!! It will erase EVERYTHING on your hard drive!
Send this letter out to as many people as you can....this is a new virus and not many people know about it!!
This information was received this morning by IBM, Please share it with anyone that might access the internet!!! PENPAL appears to be a friendly letter asking you if you are interested in a penpal.....but by the time you read this letter it is TOO late.
The Trojan horse virus will have already infected the boot sector of your harddrive, destroying all the data present. It is a self-replicating virus, and once the message is read it will AUTOMATICALLY forward itself to anyone who's e-mail address is present in your box!!!
This virus will destroy your hard drive and holds the potential to DESTROY the hard drive of anyone whose mail is in your box and whose mail is in their box and so on and on!!!!!!
So delete any message titled PENPAL or JOIN THE CREW.......this virus can do major DAMAGE to worldwide networks!!!! PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND PEOPLE IN YOUR MAILBOXES.........

AOL..... HAS SAID THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS VIRUS AND THERE IS NO REMEDY FOR THIS........ FORWARD IT TO ALL YOUR ON-LINE FRIENDS...............A.S.A.P.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Support/Verification

Here's what I did:

  1. I went to the Symantec Antivirus Research Center (SARC) at http:www.symantec.com/avcenter
  2. I clicked the "Virus Hoaxes" button on the left.
  3. I clicked Join the Crew and came up with the text below.

Join the Crew
Aliases: Hoax
Infection length: Hoax
Area of infection: Hoax
Likelihood: Hoax
Region reported: Online
Characteristics: Hoax
Target platform: Hoax
Trigger date: Hoax

Description:
Join the Crew is not a virus. It is a hoax. The "virus" does not exist. There is currently no virus that has the characteristics ascribed to "Join the Crew." It is a sham, meant only to panic new or inexperienced computer users.

The hoax message includes the following "warning" seen in multiple forms:

Form 1

If you ever get an e-mail titled "JOIN THE CREW", do not open it because it will wipe everything on your hard disk. This is the newest virus not many people know about it. So e-mail it to everyone you know!!!!!!

Form 2

Please do not open up any mail that has this title. It will erase your whole hard drive. This is a new e-mail virus and not a lot of people know about it, just let everyone know, so they won't be a victim. Please forward this e-mail to you friends!!! Remember the title: JOIN THE CREW

Form 3

We have just had notice of an E:Mail virus doing the rounds. Apparently the virus is so new most virus checkers do not recognise it. If you receive an E:Mail titled 'JOIN THE CREW' do not open it as it will:
1. Delete your hard-disk
2. Delete your E:Mail directories
3. The nastiest part is that before deleting your E:Mail directories it copies the message/virus and forwards it to everyone on your directory
If your techies haven't already warned you it might be worth letting your colleagues know.

Form 4

VIRUS WARNING !!!!!!!
If you receive an email titled "JOIN THE CREW" DO NOT open it. It will erase everything on your hard drive. Forward this letter out to as many people as you can. This is a new, very malicious virus and not many people know about it. This information was announced yesterday morning from IBM; please share it with everyone that might access the internet. Once again, pass this along to EVERYONE in your address book so that this may be stopped. Also, do not open or even look at any mail that says "RETURNED OR UNABLE TO DELIVER." This virus will attach itself to your computer components and render them useless. Immediately delete any mail items that say this. AOL has said that this is a very dangerous virus and that there is NO remedy for it at this time. Please practice cautionary measures and forward this to all your online friends ASAP.

Please ignore any messages regarding this supposed "virus" and do not pass on any messages regarding it. Passing on messages about this hoax serves only to further propagate it.

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