While I do not care very much for Junk E-Mail (which the original
message appears to be), I can't condemn it on false pretenses that it
contains a virus.
There is no known way for a executable program (which all virus
programs are) to be transmitted via electronic mail and have it infect
your system. Even if the executable is encoded by converting the binary
code to ACSII text and transmitted, you, the recipient, must then decode
it back into a binary file for it to again become an executable program
that can cause damage. Simply downloading and reading the letter will
not do this.
This "PENPAL GREETINGS!" alert message is just another form of the
urban legend "Good Times" virus scare designed to frighten users unaware
of how the system works.
--Dan in Sunny Puerto Rico--
Retired telecommunications engineer and part time computer consultant