The original warning starts something like one of the following:
>>>>>Subject: INTERNET VIRUS WARNING -- IMPORTANT
>>>>>>
>>>>>> PLEASE NOTE:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> WARNING!!!!!!!!!: INTERNET VIRUS
>>>>>>
>>>>>> There is a computer virus that is being sent across the Internet. If
>>>>>> you receive an e-mail message with the subject line "Good Times", DO
>>>>>> NOT read the message, DELETE it immediately. Please read the
>>>>>> messages below. Some miscreant is sending e-mail under the title
>>>>>> "good times" nationwide.
>>>>> *************************************************************
>>>>>
>>>>> WARNING!!!!!!! INTERNET VIRUS
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>The FCC released a warning last Wednesday concerning a matter
>>>>>of major importance to any regular user of the Internet.
>>>>>Apparently a new computer virus has been engineered by a user of
>>>>>AMERICA ON LINE that is unparalleled in its destructive capability.
Note the absence of dates in the above. NEVER pass on messages without
dates in the original text. The correction follows:
>This special issue of the Internet News is devoted to debunking two urban
>myths that refuse to die: The "Good Times" virus hoax and the Craig
>Shergold request for get-well cards. I apologize for the length, but
>these topics have resurfaced often enough that they merit the space.
>Please read the final comments even if you don't read all the details.
>
>1. The "Good Times" Virus
> Last December [1994] some college students were bored and decided to
>create a panic on the America On-Line network. To do this, they posted a
>message to as many subscribers as they could saying that a new potent
>virus had been unleashed. Supposedly this virus could destroy a computer
>system just by the reader viewing a mail message entitled "Good Times".
>The writers solemnly warned against reading any such message. Of course
>for good measure they sent out a healthy number of messages with just
>that title.
> It didn't take long before the panic spread to the Internet, and
>with people cross-posting this warning to every newsgroup and mailing
>list in existance, the warning itself took on many of the characteristics
>of a virus. Finally several government security agencies started an
>investigation which ultimately led to the debunking of the whole scam.
>There never was a good times virus, just a couple of bored college students.
> The pathetic thing is how naive most users were. You can't evoke
>a virus just by reading a mail message. This is rather obvious to most
>experienced users and certainly is obvious to systems administrators
>everywhere. However, unsuspecting people didn't wait to ask their
>administrators. Instead, they fired off copies of the message to everyone
>they knew without considering the panic they were causing.
> Unfortunately, on April 1 of this year [1995] someone re-released the
>Good Times message. So many new users have been added to the Internet
>everywhere that many did not know that this was an old fraud, and as a
>result there has been a whole new wave of hysteria.
> Bottom line: Don't panic. There is no Good Times virus. Never
>was, never will be. If you get any more messages about it, ignore them,
>or better yet, send a copy of this message to all the recipients and
>advise them to ignore the Good Times hoax.
>
>2. The Craig Shergold Story
> It seems so touching. You get an email or even a paper flyer that
>tells you of a boy name Craig, dying of cancer, whose last wish is to get
>his name in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most
>business cards, or the most get-well cards, or something similar. More
>recent versions ask you to send your cards to the Atlanta Make-a-Wish
>foundation. Unlike the Good Times Hoax, this story is based on a true
>story. But I'll let you read it for yourself (notice the dates, to give
>you an idea how long these legends survive):
>
>------------------------------
>(Source: The USEnet faq)
>"I heard these stories about a dying child wanting postcards/get-well
>cards/business cards to get in the Guinness Book of World Records. Where
>can I post the address for people to help?"
>
>"Post it to "junk," or better yet, don't post it at all. The story of the
>little boy keeps popping up, even though his mother and the agencies
>involved have been appealing for people to stop. So many postcards were
>sent that the agencies involved in the effort don't know what to do with
>them. The Guinness people have recorded the boy, Craig Shergold, as the
>record holder in the category. However, they will not accept claims for a
>new try at the record. For confirmation, you can see page 24 of the 29
>July1990 NY Times or call the publisher of the Guinness Book (in the US,
>call "Facts on File" @ 212-683-2244).
>
>According to the 1993 edition of the GBWR, on page 213:
>
>Craig Shergold (born 1979 [Note: the "little boy" is now 16 years old])
>of Carshalton, Surrey when undergoing cancer chemo-therapy was sent a
>record 33 million get-well cards until May 1991 when his mother pleaded
>for no more. A successful 5 hour operation on a brain tumour by
>neurosurgeon Neal Kassel at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville,
>USA in March 1991 greatly improved his condition.
>
>Craig Shergold (born 1979 [ Note: the little boy is now 16 years old]) of
>Carshalton, Surrey when undergoing cancer chemo-therapy was sent a record
>33 million get-well cards until May 1991 when his mother pleaded for no
>more. A successful 5 hour operation on a brain tumour by neurosurgeon
>Neal Kassel at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA in March
>1991 greatly improved his condition.
>
>If you want to do something noble, donate the cost of a stamp an postcard
>(or more) to a worthwhile charity like UNICEF or the International Red
>Cross (Red Crescent, Red Magen David). There are tens of thousands of
>children dying around the world daily, and they could use more than a
>postcard."
>---------------------
>
>I have sent you this message because these two legends refuse to die, and
>almost weekly I have to send out an explanation of one or the other.
>Please share this information with your friends.
>
>Finally, please use some common sense. You probably wouldn't believe
>these things if you saw them in a tabloid at the supermarket, and you
>probably wouldn't believe them if you got them in the mail from the Post
>Office. Don't place any greater reliance in stuff you read on the
>Internet. Always consider the source. A lack of names, dates, etc. is
>almost always a sure guarantee that the message is fraudulant.
>
>If you do receive questionable mail like this, DO NOT incite a riot by
>sending copies to everyone you know. Send one copy to admin and let us
>take a look at it. If a warning is necessary, we will issue it. Those
>who cause mass hysteria on this system will be treated in the same manner
>as those who shout "fire" in a crowded theater.
-Larry Martin, PhD, Associate Professor of Physics
martin@npcts.edu http://www.npcts.edu/~martin/
(312) 244-5668 fax (312) 244-4952 home: (312) 478-0679
North Park College, box 30, 3225 W. Foster Ave., Chicago, IL 60625