Why am I getting e-mails telling me I am sending viruses?

A virus or worm that is infected on your computer can cause you to send infected e-mails, resulting in automatic replies about the detected virus. Alternatively, another computer may be spoofing your e-mail address to send viruses or worms. When a network or user detects an e-mail virus, it may automatically send you a reply to inform you. Below are examples of automatic replies.

Automatic reply examples

The following is an example of an automatic reply about a detected e-mail virus:

This message is to warn you that your computer system may have a virus present and should be checked.
Report: >>> Virus 'W32/Sobig-F' found in file details.pif.
Shortcuts to MS-DOS programs are very dangerous in e-mail (details.pif).

In the above example, the automatic reply Sobig virus may have also listed movie.pif, sky_world.scr, document.pif, or application.pif as the attached program.

First, make sure your antivirus scanner is up-to-date and perform a full scan your computer to make sure it's not infected with any viruses or malware.

If your computer was not infected with a virus or worm, it's possible someone you know, who has your e-mail address on their computer, was infected. There is no simple method of locating an infected computer, but telling your e-mail contacts to checked their computer's is a good idea if you continue to receive automatic virus replies.