From pcworld.ca
How to Spot a Hoax E-Mail
Several resources can tell you whether an e-mail claim you’re interested in is a hoax. One is Hoax-Busters.org, which describes itself as the Big List of Internet Hoaxes; another is Snopes.com, which specializes in urban legends and hoaxes, and a third is Hoax-Slayer.com. Check out any of these sites before you forward that next petition, chain letter, or crazy photo.
Hoax-Busters also has a list of the “5 Telltale Signs of an Internet Hoax” that might useful.
- The e-mail will have a sense of urgency about it, and probably a lot of exclamation points in it.
- The e-mail will insist that you tell all your friends.
- The text is adamant that this is “NOT a hoax.”
- It will earnestly inform you that there are dire consequences for not participating.
- It probably is full of >>>> marks, showing that it has fooled a lot of people before you, and has been forwarded all over the planet. Don’t add any more! (don’t forward it on!)