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'It Takes Guts to Say Jesus' Virus
Netlore Archive:  False email alert warns Internet users to beware of a virus-bearing email entitled 'It Takes Guts to Say Jesus'

Description:  Virus hoax
Status:  False
Circulating since:  Jan. 1999
Analysis:  See below
 


Email example contributed by S. Germeau, 31 Mar 2001:

Very Urgent!!!!!!!

PASS THIS ON TO ANYONE YOU HAVE AN E-MAIL ADDRESS FOR.
If you receive an email titled: "It Takes Guts to Say Jesus" DO NOT OPEN IT. It will erase everything on your hard drive. This information was announced yesterday morning from IBM; AOL states that this is a very dangerous virus, much worse, than "Melissa," and that there is NO Remedy for it at this time. Some very sick individual has succeeded in using the reformat function from Norton Utilities causing it to completely erase all documents on the hard drive. It has been designed to work with Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. It destroys Macintosh and IBM compatible computers.

This is a new, very malicious and not many people know about it. Pass this warning along to EVERYONE in your address book and please share it with all your online friends ASAP so that this threat maybe stopped. Please practice cautionary measures and tell anyone that may have access to your computer. Forward this warning to everyone that you know that might access the Internet.

Joyce L. Bober
IBM Information Systems
Pittsburgh Mailing Systems
412 - 922-8744


Comments:   Determined a hoax by every major antivirus software manufacturer, this false warning has circulated continuously since 1999. The prank likely originated as a response to (if not an attempt to neutralize) an "inspirational" chain letter entitled "It Takes Guts to Say Jesus" (a.k.a. "The Dropped Chalk" or "The Atheist Professor"), which first appeared as a forwarded email in 1996.

See resources below for more information.


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Sources and further reading:

This 'Virus' Is an Apparition
Wired News, 10 Apr 2000

Guts to Say Jesus Hoax
Coverage by antivirus software vendor Symantec

It Takes Guts to Say Jesus Virus
Vmyths.com, 17 Sep 2002

The Dropped Chalk ('It Takes Guts to Say Jesus')
Inspirational chain letter in which an atheist professor receives a miraculous comeuppance


Last updated: 06/21/03


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