Fact Check

It Takes Guts to Say Jesus Virus

Information about the 'It Takes Guts to Say Jesus' virus.

Published March 5, 2002

Claim:

Virus name:   It Takes Guts to Say Jesus


Status:   Hoax.

Examples:   [Collected on the Internet, 1998]




Say 'Jesus'" do NOT open it. It will erase everything on your hard drive.

This is a new, very malicious virus and not many people know about it. This information was announced yesterday morning from IBM; please share it with everyone that might access the internet. Once again, pass this along to EVERYONE in your address book so that this may be stopped.

Also, do not open or even look at any mail that says "RETURNED OR UNABLE TO DELIVER."

This virus will attach itself to your computer components and render them useless. Immediately delete any mail items that say this. AOL has said that this is a very dangerous virus and that there is NO remedy for it at this time. Please practice cautionary measures and forward this to all your online friends ASAP


Very Urgent!!!!!!!

PASS THIS ON TO ANYONE YOU HAVE AN E-MAIL ADDRESS FOR. If you receive an email titled: "It Takes Guts to Say Jesus" DO NOT OPEN IT. It will erase everything on your hard drive. This information was announced yesterday morning from IBM; AOL states that this is a very dangerous virus, much worse than "Melissa," and that there is NO Remedy for it at this time.

Some very sick individual has succeeded in using the reformat function from Norton Utilities causing it to completely erase all documents on the hard drive. It has been designed to work with Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. It destroys Macintosh and IBM compatible computers.

This is a new, very malicious virus and not many people know about it. Pass this warning along to EVERYONE in your address book and please share it with all your online friends ASAP so that this threat maybe stopped.

Please practice cautionary measures and tell anyone that may have access to your computer. Forward this warning to everyone that you know that might access the Internet.


If you receive an email titled "It Takes Guts to Say 'Jesus' DO NOT OPEN IT. It will erase everything on your hard drive. This information was announced yesterday morning from IBM; AOL states that this is a very dangerous virus, much worse than "Melissa", and that there is NO remedy for it at this time. Some very sick individual has succeeded in using the re-format function from Norton Utilities causing it to completely erase all documents on the hard drive. It has been designed to work with Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. It destroys MacIntosh and IBM compatible computers. This is a new, very malicious virus and not many people know about it. Pass this warning along to EVERYONE in your address book and please share it with all your online friends ASAP so that this threat may be stopped. Please practice cautionary measures and tell anyone that may have access to your computer. Forward this warning to everyone that might access the internet.



Origins:   "It Takes Guts to Say Jesus" is one of the hardier perennial virus hoaxes, having bloomed in inboxes all over the Internet since 1998. Although a virus could be harbored in a mail message bearing any subject line the sender chose, there was never a rash of disabled computers and trashed hard drives caused by e-mail messages titled "It Takes Guts to Say Jesus" — this one was a hoax from the very beginning.

Additional Information:






    It Takes Guts to Say Jesus It Takes Guts to Say Jesus (Symantec Security Response)
    It Takes Guts to Say Jesus It Takes Guts to Say Jesus (McAfee Virus Information Library)

Last updated:   28 January 2008


David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.