Hallmark: Not a Virus

By Eric Barton in Follow That Story, Random Life

Fri., Aug. 1 2008 @ 3:06PM

By ERIC BARTON

A co-worker forwarded me an e-mail today with the warning that there's a new virus going around. It comes via an e-mail with a subject line of "POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK."

That's right, call it the Hallmark virus.

But don't confuse it with the viruslike work environment that some current and former employees complain about at the constantly downsizing greeting card maker.

And actually, don't believe it. That's according to Hallmark spokeswoman Julie O'Dell. I wrote her this morning to ask if she had heard of the supposed virus. Here's her response.

Yes, we're certainly aware of this .... yet another in a string of fraudulent e-mails. Our investigation has revealed this message is actually a hoax and is debunked on sites such as Snopes.com. The message itself is convincing especially with the notation that the sender has checked with Norton and others. But, in reality, it's just the latest version of a message format that has been going around the web for years.
However, we know there are real viruses, trojans and spyware being distributed out there so we continue to research them to make sure we're prepared and can warn employees and consumers if necessary.

So, for the record, Hallmark is not a computer virus. But, according to some employees, it still might make you feel sick if you work there.