Many Web sites offer a service that allows a user to send a customized greeting card (or postcard) to a relative, friend, or acquaintance, delivered as an e-mail message containing a hyperlink which the recipient follows to visit the originating site and view the card.

Sending out phony e-card notifications is therefore an effective method of camouflaging viruses and inducing unwitting recipients into clicking on links that install malicious programs onto their computers. Some of the virus-laden subject lines include:

* You’ve received a Hallmark E-Card!

* You’ve received a greeting card from a school-mate!

* You’ve received a greeting ecard from a class mate!

* You’ve received a greeting ecard from a neighbour!

* You’ve received a greeting postcard from a partner!

* You’ve received a greeting postcard from a worshipper!

* You’ve received a postcard from a family member!

* You’ve received a postcard from a neighbour!

* You’ve received a postcard from a worshipper!

* You’ve received an ecard from a colleague!

* Class-mate sent you an ecard from vintagepostcards.com!

* Colleague sent you a greeting ecard from postcardsfrom.com!

* School mate sent you a greeting ecard from greetingcard.org!

* Family member sent you a postcard from dgreetings.com!

* Neighbour sent you a greeting ecard from NetFunCards.com!

* School-mate sent you an ecard from mypostcards.com!

* Worshipper sent you an ecard from greetingcard.org!

* Colleague sent you a postcard from egreetings.com!

* Neighbour sent you a greeting ecard from all-yours.net!

* School friend sent you an ecard from postcards.org!

* Holiday e-card

* Movie-quality e-card

* Love postcard

* Birthday e-card

* Thank you card

* Musical postcard

* Funny postcard

For complete information regarding faux Internet postcards, visit http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp.

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