9 April 2001
Received via email:
"Dear All,
This is an early warning... If you receive a phone call and your mobile phone displays...
* !?UNAVAILABLE!? *
on the screen (for most of digital mobile phones with a function to display in-coming call telephone number). DON'T ANSWER THE CALL - END THE CALL IMMEDIATELY.
IF YOU ANSWER THE CALL, YOUR PHONE WILL BE INFECTED BY THIS VIRUS. This virus will erase all IMIE and IMSI information from both your phone and your SIM card, which will make your phone unable to connect with the telephone network. You will have to buy a new phone. This information has been confirmed by both Motorola and Nokia.
There are over 3 million mobile phones being infected by this virus in USA now. You can also check this news in the CNN website.
I have contacted Vodafone and they said they haven't had any reports yet but to be cautious. If you ever receive such calls end the call, do not answer. This could primarily effect WAP phones due to the micro browsers on the handset. Please forward this piece of information to all your friends who have digital mobile phones."
Not content with sending out email virus hoaxes, these donkeys are now going for both birds with one stone.
Not only do they create problems with everyone forwarding the email around the place, but they'll phone the mobile company and check. I'm quite sure the phone dollies at the various mobile phone companies found it quite amusing the first couple of times, but are probably fed up to the back teeth of answering the phone to panic merchants and well meaning secretaries (like the one who originally forwarded the message to D, who forwarded it on to me).
I suppose this is the downside to the huge leap in affordable technology - the potential for these hoaxers to take the piss out of Joe Average must be too tempting to pass up. Sad really, because I'm betting that there will be more than a few people who will give up on trying out new technologies because crap like this terrifies them too much.
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