This is a real hoax. See the Computer Incident Advisory Capability's
"Internet Hoaxes" web page at:
 
 
http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html#penpal
 
"PENPAL GREETINGS! Warning Hoax
 
The PENPAL GREETINGS! Hoax shown below appears to be an attempt to kill an
e-mail chain letter by claiming that it is a self starting Trojan that
destroys your hard drive and then sends copies of itself to everyone whose
address in in your mailbox. Reading an e-mail message does not run it nor
does it run any attachments, so this Trojan must be self starting. Aside
from the fact that a program cannot start itself, the Trojan would also have
to know about every different kind of e-mail program to be able to forward
copies of itself to other people. This warning is totally a hoax."
 
 
I would pass this info on to any persons who sent you this message and try
to end the further progogation of this hoax as best you can.
 
Cheers,
 
--Lenny__
 
 
At 12:12 PM 5/23/97 -0500, Michele A. Lorenzini wrote:
>>> >Dear everybody,
>>> >
>>> >Look out! .....
>>> >-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> >-----------------------------
>>> >>If anyone receives mail entitled:  PENPAL GREETINGS please delete it
>>> >>WITHOUT reading it. This is a warning for all Internet users - there is
>>> >>a
>>> >>dangerous virus propagating across the Internet through an e-mail
>>> >>message entitled PENPAL GREETINGS.
>>> >>
>>> >>DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANY MESSAGE ENTITLED PENPAL GREETINGS.
>>> >>
>>> >>This message 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 hard drive,  destroying all of 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
>>> >>mailbox.
>>> >>
>>> >>This virus will DESTROY your hard drive, and holds the potential to
>>> >>DESTROY the hard drive of anyone who's mail is in your inbox, and who's
>>> >>mail is in their in box and so on.  If this virus keeps getting passed,
>>> >>it
>>> >>has the potential to do a great deal of DAMAGE to computer networks
>>> >>worldwide.
>>> >>
>>> >>Please delete the message entitled PENPAL GREETINGS as soon as you see
>>> >>it. And pass this message along to all of your friends, relatives and
>>> >>the
>>> >>other readers of the newsgroups and mailing lists which you are on so
>>> >>that they are not hurt by this dangerous virus.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >
>>> >
>>>
>>
>>
>
>