Perhaps Gargoyle thinks it has been around for years because similar hoaxes have been around for years. But not knowing that does not make someone an idiot. It can be worrying to receive an email describing a virus and then discover on checking that the file is on your computer. Checking Symantec or McAfee may put your mind at rest if they are aware of it, which usually they are fairly quickly, but to me the giveaway is usually the warning that Nortons/McAfee do not detect it. If a virus has been about long enough for emails about it to be circulating amongst Joe Public then both Nortons and McAfee WILL know about it.