Facebook Hoax Warns of 'Christmas Tree' Virus

Supposedly malicious bug has yet to surface
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 23, 2010 5:58 PM CST
Facebook Hoax Warns of 'Christmas Tree' Virus
Thousands of "locks of love" hang on Christmas trees at a terrace of Seoul Tower on Mt. Namsan in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010.   (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A message circulating widely on Facebook that warns of a virus called "Christmas Tree" appears to be a fake, Mashable reports. "Of course, with the message spreading as quickly as it is, it wouldn’t surprise us if someone actually created a malicious app bearing that or a similar name," writes Stan Schroeder. "That’s the problem with fake warnings: They create confusion and after a while it gets hard to distinguish the fake threats from the real ones."

Here's a typical wording of the warning: "WARNING!!!!!!…..DONOT USE THE Christmas Tree application on Facebook. Please be advised it will crash your computer. Geek squad says it’s oneof the WORST trojan-viruses there is and it is spreading quickly. Re-post and let your friends know."
(More computer virus stories.)

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