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This is not a virus, but a widespread hoax, warning about a dangerous e-mail message titled 'Penpal greetings'. No such danger exists.

This hoax is very similar to Good Times. See the description of Good Times for more information.

Here's an example of the hoax warning:

****
   If anyone receives mail entitled: PENPAL GREETINGS! please delete 
   it WITHOUT reading it. 
   This is a warning for all internet users - there is a dangerous 
   virus propogating across the internet through an e-mail message 
   entitled "PENPAL GREETINGS!".  DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANY MESSAGE 
   ENTITLED "PENPAL GREETINGS!" This message appears to be a 
   friendly letter asking you if you are interested in a penpal, but 
   by the time you read this letter, it is too late.  The "trojan 
   horse" virus will have already infected the boot sector of your 
   hard drive, destroying all of the data present.  It is a 
   self-replicating virus, and once the message is read, it will 
   AUTOMATICALLY forward itself to anyone who's e-mail address is 
   present in YOUR mailbox! 
   This virus will DESTROY your hard drive, and holds the potential 
   to DESTROY the hard drive of anyone whose mail is in your inbox, 
   and who's mail is in their inbox, and so on.  If this virus 
   remains unchecked, it has the potntial to do a great deal of 
   DAMAGE to computer networks worldwide!!!! 
   Please, delete the message entitled "PENPAL GREETINGS!" as soon 
   as you see it! And pass this message along to all of your friends 
   and relatives, and the other readers of the newsgroups and 
   mailing lists which you are on, so that they are not hurt by this 
   dangerous virus!!!! 
****