Spam vs. virus

From: Gary Kelley (glkelley_at_cableone.net)
Date: 09/23/03 

Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 17:57:31 -0700

The following message is posted on www.endads.com,

Have you been hit with unwanted advertising or Spam? The
message you received is the newest form of internet spam.
You don't have to have an email account or even a web
browser. You received this message due to a built in
feature that Microsoft included in Windows XP, 2000, and
NT.
The worst part of all this is that some computer experts
have indicated that it is also a potential SECURITY THREAT
that hackers can use to infect your computer with a virus
that is untraceable by current anti-virus software.
Messenger pop-ups are defined to be pop-ups that are sent
via the built in Windows Messenger Service, which means
you don't even have to be at a webpage to receive these
type of pop-ups.

Is this a real thing or is this just a way to sell
virus/ad protection? I get ads but they are all from this
idiot.
How can I get rid of this? I tried the free download from
ads-aware, and so far this one keeps getting through.
g

Quantcast