I received this via e-mail today, and to be honest I'm not entirely sure whether it is a hoax or it is real.
In any event, on the remote chance that it could be real, I feel compelled to share it with the community. (If it does turn out to be a hoax, there's no real harm done, and perhaps a Joe Clone can just delete this. Thanks for indulging me, in advance.)

[Copy of the E-mail]

Please read - it definitely is a serious threat to our lives and health.

This is an alert about a virus in the original sense of the word......one that affects your body..... not your hard drive. There have been 23 confirmed cases of people attacked by the Klingerman Virus, a virus that arrives in your real mailbox, not in your e-mail inbox.

Someone has been mailing large blue envelopes, seemingly at random, to people in the U.S. and Canada. On the front of the envelope in bold black letters is printed " A Gift For You From The Klingerman Foundation".

When the envelopes are opened, there is a small sponge sealed in plastic. This sponge carries what has come to be known as the Klingerman Virus and public health officials state this IS a strain of virus they have not previously encountered.

Those who have come in contact with the Klingerman Virus have been hospitalized with severe dysentery. So far seven of the twenty-three victims have died. There is no legitimate Klingerman Foundation mailing unsolicited gifts.

If you receive an oversized blue envelope in the mail marked "A Gift For You From The Klingerman Foundation,". DO NOT OPEN IT !!!!! Place it in a strong plastic bag or container and call the police immediately.

The "gift" is one you definitely do not want to get.
PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE THAT YOU CARE ABOUT.

[End of E-mail]