I have just received an e-mail, suposedly, from Sheffield History saying I have a PM and 'follow the link'. I followed the link and logged in, expected to have a message from an old friend and found the message 'now check your computer for viruses':huh: Has anyone else had this mail ?? If so any problems ? I am now doing a complete scan for viruses but basically I'm worried !!:confused:

probably will have a virus now, if you have followed this sort of link!

Never open anything, unless you are sure of the senders credibility.

Your complete scan may just save you from further worry, as long as your anti virus was up-to-date

I have Kaspersky and it is completely up to date, I only switch it off to watch Celebrity BB as it doesn't like the 'filmon' website where I watch it..... (They have pulled the plug here in Crete for Channel 4, very unfair !!!) Would love to hear if anyone else has had it as - to be honest -I don't remember signing up for the Sheffield History website but it has the same login name as on here (Jules 1000). And I was so excited, thinking someone in Sheffield remembered me !!!

Was the message that came up about having a virus actually a PM from the users forum account? Or was it a link to something else entirely?
It's possible that his account has been hacked and is being used for spam.

The message was from someone called 'Good Friend' but I think it was spelt 'Good FRiend' as far as I could see they had only 1 post so I assumed someone had been browsing on here and recognised me, on hindsight I suppose I should have thought about a bit first. I no longer have the info as I deleted the mail immediately in panic

This person joined the forum and immediately sent this PM to all users. If you have received it, delete it unread, and do not follow the link.
The person concerned has been banned by the forum admins.

OMG Thanks for the explanation... I thought I had totally over reacted and felt such a fool for going public about opening it. Still haven't found a virus but would be interested in finding out if it effected anyone else

I am now doing a complete scan for viruses but basically I'm worried !!:confusedWith your surfing habits I'm not surprised!

I followed the link and logged in, :Don't ever follow links in e-mail, IM or PM's unless you're %110 sure of the source. Even trusted friends can become infected and start sending links without their knowledge, so always check first.

I have Kaspersky and it is completely up to date, I only switch it off to watch Celebrity BB as it doesn't like the 'filmon' website where I watch it Your AV warns you about a site you're visiting and you switch it off to shut it up????

Your AV warns you about a site you're visiting and you switch it off to shut it up????
I thought that was a bit daft too! If you're going to switch your anti-virus off because it says a site is bad, then you've got to expect to get viruses.
Its like if you're about to have sex with someone and they say "I've got loads of STDs" and then you say "well I won't wear a condom then!" :loopy:

Jules1000, have you checked Youtube? Under the search bar, there is a "shows" tab. Channel 4 have an official channel under that tab that has all the Celebrity Big Brother shows on it. Not sure if it'll work in Crete or not, but its worth a look :)
http://www.youtube.com/show/celebritybigbrother

ok, apart from the virus angle, you may have sent your login details to someone via their form page, that looked like your sites genuine login page...this is called 'phishing'...and is why so many people lose their bank details when they follow a link from a mail that appears to be from their bank...after logging into what they think is their banks page...

if you have mailed your details to someone, just be thankful it wasn't a bank account mail that you replied to. i get them from most of the major banks, ebay, and mobile phone suppliers, with notes saying some details need to be verified, and that i should follow the link to login. if you are at all suspicious of the mail, go to the website from your own link, in the normal way you would navigate to the site, and not from a link sent in an email

e.g. go to www.ebay.co.uk / www.paypal.com etc from inside a browser window
(secure websites will usually have 'https' as the beginning of their address, as opposed to http. the 's' means it is secure)

I know I made a mistake - just wanted to warn everyone as, I considered it to be from a trusted site and it wouldn't be the first time I received a PM from an old friend... Since receiving thie mail I have received 2 more PM's from genuine SF members who are trying to help and I opened them.

With regard to the 'filmon' site, I said my computer doesn't like it, I didn't receive any warning about it it just slows it down to such as speed that it is unwatchable, the same thing happens every time I receive an update from 'Quickbooks' which is also a reputable company for accounting software....

I will take into account all your comments, good and bad, and consider myself lucky although I will change my password just to be on the safe side, thank you everyone

Opening a PM, if you are actually logged into SF and haven't followed a dodgy link in the first place, is safe.
Following links from people you don't know, PM'd, emailed or otherwise, is asking for trouble.

Your original post isn't clear, it doesn't actually mention following a link in the PM, just the message. If that is all it was, a message in a genuine PM (despite it being spam), then you're probably safe.

I have just received an e-mail, suposedly, from Sheffield History saying I have a PM and 'follow the link'. I followed the link and logged in, expected to have a message from an old friend and found the message 'now check your computer for viruses':huh: Has anyone else had this mail ?? If so any problems ? I am now doing a complete scan for viruses but basically I'm worried !!:confused:

If you still have the PM, could you forward it to the Helpdesk so they can check it please? If not could you still get in contact with them with any info which is related?

Closing, to prevent any further speculation.

Thanks everyone.