"Invitation FACEBOOK" hoax

There are a lot of genuine malware-laden fake Facebook emails about, but this one is a hoax.. and a very old one at that, going all the way back to the 1990s in one form or another.

Subject: Fwd: FW: PLEASE CIRCULATE

PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS NOTICE TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY ON YOUR CONTACT LIST

In the coming days, you should be aware…

Do not open any message with an attachment called:

"Invitation FACEBOOK"

Regardless of who sent it

It is a virus that opens an Olympic torch and burns the whole hard
disc C of your computer

This virus will be received from someone you have in your address book


That's why you should send this message to all your contacts.  It is
better to receive this email 25 times than to receive the virus and
open it

If you receive email called: "Invitation FACEBOOK", though sent by a friend,

do not open but delete it immediately

CNN said it is a new virus discovered recently and that has been
classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever

It is a Trojan Horse that asks you to install an adobe flash plug-in.
Once you install it, it's all over. And there is no repair yet for
this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the
Hard Disc, where the vital information of their function is saved



THE INFORMATION HAS BEEN CHECKED WITH SNOPES
http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/youtube.asp

DO exercise caution with emails that appear to be from Facebook, PayPal, LinkedIn or any one of a variety of services.. you can usually check the true destination of a link in an email by floating the pointer over it. DON'T circulate silly hoaxes like this because it simply wastes everybody's time.

amanda.lee@blackberry.co.za is not offering a free BlackBerry

A variation on this hoax email analysed at Hoax-Slayer indicates that someone has a grudge against Research in Motion (who make the BlackBerry range of smartphones) in South Africa.

There's a watermarked image stolen from Mobile Gazette to go with it (who are nothing to do with the hoax).. now with a blurry couple of photos from people claiming that they have their free BlackBerry.

This is just a hoax.. nobody is going to send you a €400 smartphone (about 3800 rand) for forwarding a few emails. It probably just exists to harass the company or whoever "Amanda Lee" might be. Don't forward it.

Dear All,
 
Blackberry is giving away  free phones as part of their promotional drive.
 
All you need to do is send a copy of this email to 8 people; and you will receive your phone in less than 24 hrs.
Please note that if you send to more than 20 people you will receive two phones.
 
 
Please do not forget to send a copy to: amanda.lee@blackberry.co.za 
 
With Regards,
 
Amanda Lee (Marketing Manager)
Office Number: 0117838512 

Someone has added to the email:

Hi guys,

This is real we got our phones today , the previous email, had the incorrect email address, should be @blackberry.co.za, and not @blackberry.com

And there are a couple of pictures no doubt ripped from the web:

My best advice is that if you get one, tell the sender that it is a hoax and point them to this post or Hoax-Slayer.

"Blackberry Storm Promotion" scam email

is fake email appears to have been created to flood an innocent party's mailbox with spam and generate unwanted phone calls (the number may well be a real one belonging to RIM in South Africa). BlackBerry / Research In Motion are nothing to do with this email, it is a hoax.. please ignore it and do not try to contact "Amanda". More on this scam here.

Subject: Blackberry Storm Promotion.

Dear All,   Blackberry is giving away  free phones as part of their promotional drive.   All you need to do is send a copy of this email to 8 people; and you will receive your phone in less than 24 hrs. Please note that if you send to more than 20 people you will receive two phones.     Please do not forget to send a copy to: amanda.lee@blackberry.com   With Regards,   Amanda Lee (Marketing Manager) Office Number: 0027 11 7838512

Persimmon Homes / Marks & Spencers Vouchers Hoax

There is currently a hoax email circulating similar to the following:

Thought this might be useful with Christmas coming up

Marks & Spencer, in conjunction with Persimmon Homes, are giving away free vouchers. Marks & Spencer's are trying word-of-mouth advertising to introduce its products and the reward you receive for advertising for them is free non-refundable vouchers to be used in any M & S store.

To receive your free vouchers by e-mail all you have to do is send this e-mail out to 8 people (for £100 of free vouchers) or 20 people (for £500 of free vouchers). Within 2 weeks you will receive an e-mail with your vouchers attached. They will contact you through your e-mail address.

NB. Please mark a copy to:
Andy.curran@persimmonshomes.com

As it happens, the domain name persimmonshomes.com is incorrect, it would be persimmonhomes.com. But no matter, Persimmon categorically deny that is is anything to do with them:

"Hoax E-mail"

A hoax e-mail is being circulated offering a promotion of free Marks and Spencer vouchers for forwarding the e-mail to colleagues and friends.

Neither Marks and Spencer or Persimmon Homes have made any such promotional offer.

Please delete the hoax e-mail and notify the people to whom you have sent it that it is a hoax.

It turns out that this hoax has been doing the rounds since 2007. There's also an interesting thread about it here.

You can also check out Dynamoo's Email Etiquette page for some advice on what is appropriate to forward and what isn't.