I.C.E. - warning!

JGarnett_2

I understand an email has been sent to everyone from this site advising them to put ICE by their emergency contact number in their address book but I got an email from my sister saying that this is a virus! Does anyone have a definite answer on this please?

This is the email I got from her -

While there are good intentions with the ICE idea, it has it downsides.
Here is an email I have been sent regarding ICE:

>>Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I picked up an email about the
consequence of following this advice. You might want to reconsider.
Here's the important bit:

This seemed such a good idea - I was on the verge of doing it, however,
this warning came today from the chief business manager of a very large
telecommunications firm, who is a friend of mine and to whom I sent this
last night - this is a legitimate warning. If you've already put this on
your phone - take it off pronto. (

Somehow identifying an emergency contact seems a good thing to do
though, no?

> Be very careful with this one - although the intention is great it is

unfortunately phase one of a phone based virus that is laying a path for
propagating very quickly. Passing it on is part of the virus
interestingly, such is the deviousness of the people who write these
things. We have already seen the "second phase" where a program is sent
as part of a ring-tone download that goes into your address book and
looks for something it recognises - you've guessed it, an address book
entry marked "ICE or I.C.E." or whatever. It then sends itself to the
"ICE list", charging you for the privilege.

Hunnymonster

Of course this only affects the small percentage of users who have phones capable of running such code (assuming they're daft enough to accept this unsolicited code/ringtone anyway)

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/05/05/mobile_virus_hype_debunked/

Doug Overton of WDSGlobal said anti-virus vendors are overstating the threat to push sales of mobile anti-virus software. "There are few malicious mobile viruses in the wild and they are not a significant threat, at least for now. But there is a lot of scaremongering going on and the media, interested in horror stories, are lapping it up," he said

(My emphasis)

Woby_Tide

the ICE virsu bit is a hoax (though no doubt now the two seperate items i.e. the ICE scheme and viruses, have been linked someone will now try and create one)

Lawbag_2

let me be the first to say this is a hoax, just to scare the mainstream general public

elvis_bloggs

Lawbag wrote:

let me be the first to say this is a hoax, just to scare the mainstream general public

Are you in the know.?? Please present your research findings to prove what you say.

ec9wrr

Why would you make a virus that only sends itself to ICE? Why not make it so that it sent to everyone in your phone book? This way the evil little virus makers would get there work out to more people... seems a bit of a mistake to make it so that the virus only sends to one person.
Without doubt a hoax.

mike_paterson

elvis_bloggs wrote:

Are you in the know.?? Please present your research findings to prove what you say.

It is indeed a hoax and is in very poor taste methinks.

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/ice-campaign-email.html

michaels

However although the phone theory is a virus the 'forward to everyone you know' email is a valuable tool of the spammers so if you do forward:
a) make sure you bcc all your contacts
b) remember to remove all the previous forwarding information that others have not

Woby_Tide

michaels wrote:

However although the phone theory is a virus the 'forward to everyone you know' email is a valuable tool of the spammers so if you do forward:
a) make sure you bcc all your contacts
b) remember to remove all the previous forwarding information that others have not

c) don't bother forwarding rubbish in the first place, google it, then trash it, forwardiing only adds to the problemss

soolin

Woby_Tide wrote:

c) don't bother forwarding rubbish in the first place, google it, then trash it, forwardiing only adds to the problemss

Seconded.

I'm sorry if this comes across a bit strong but I do get fed up with people sending me virus warning emails, sob stories about Bill Gates giving 1 cent for every time someone opens the email etc etc.

They all start off with 'I don't know if this is for real but...' if people don't know whether it is true or not why can't they do some simple research through https://www.snopes.com or one of the virus myth websites that have already been mentioned. As for the £3 paypal pyramid chain letter, don't even get me started!

Soo

theronpoker

ummary:
Email forward advises you to store the word "I C E" in your mobile phone book
along with the number of the person you wish to be contacted in case of emergency.

Status:
True

Example:(Submitted, July 2005)
East Anglian Ambulance Service have launched a national "In case of Emergency (ICE)"
campaign with the support of Falklands war hero Simon Weston and in association with
Vodafone's annual life savers award.

The idea is that you store the word "I C E" in your mobile phone address book, and
against it enter the number of the person you would want to be contacted "In Case of
Emergency". In an emergency situation ambulance and hospital staff will then be able to
quickly find out who your next of kin are and be able to contact them. It's so simple
that everyone can do it.

Please will you also email this to everybody in your address book, it won't take too
many 'forwards' before everybody will know about this. It really could help the emergency
services in doing their job. For more than one contact name ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc.


Commentary:
This message of advice circulates via email forwarding and online forums. The message
rapidly gained momentum in the wake of the London terrorist bombings of July 2005.

Information in the message is valid and, in fact, the advice it contains is well worth
heeding. An article on the East Anglian Ambulance Service website offers more information
about the ICE campaign. In April 2005, clinical team leader Bob Brotchie, launched the UK
based ICE campaign with support from Vodafone.

The East Anglian Ambulance Service article states that:

By entering the acronym ICE - for In Case of Emergency - into the mobile's phone book, users
can log the name and number of someone who should be contacted in an emergency.

The idea follows research carried out by Vodafone that shows more than 75 per cent of people
carry no details of who they would like telephoned following a serious accident.
The wide spread success of this campaign will largely depend on mobile phone users adopting
the ICE tactic and emergency medical personnel being aware of what the acronym ICE actually
stands for. Bob Brotchie hopes that other emergency services "will promote ICE in their area
as part of a national awareness campaign to highlight the importance of carrying next of kin
details at all times."

As well as adding In Case of Emergency details to their mobile phone book as described, I
think it would be wise for people to include a hard copy of these details in their purse or
wallet, perhaps in the form of a clearly labelled contact card.

In a strange twist, hoaxers have apparently attempted to sabotage the ICE campaign by
circulating nonsensical email rumours that ICE is actually a type of mobile phone
virus. These rumours are completely false and should be ignored. An example of one of
these hoax emails is included below:


Latest Mobile Phone Scam

I have just received information from Stephens & Scown Solicitors that there is a new mobile
phone scam concerning Pay as You Go (PAYG) Mobiles.

The scam is that you are asked to set up an "In Case of Emergency (ICE) Account" on your PAYG
mobile.

Apparently this is a modular system that searches for the word ICE text and then changes your
phones setting and takes any PAYG credit left on your phone.

Please ensure that this information is circulated to all staff and please pass on to family and
friends


http://www.hoax-slayer.com/ice-campaign-email.html