Is this email for real? How can I know if it is a hoax or a scam?

How do you know if the latest email forwarded to you by well-meaning friends is for real or not? Is it a scam or a hoax?

The most recent question related to an email stating that MSN was closing down its email service. It went on to say that if you didn’t forward the email to all your contacts it would cost 10.00 to use it. So, you have to pay 10 ‘somethings’ to pay for a service that is no longer available!

This was obviously a hoax but others are more believable but still a hoax. There are a great many email hoaxes going around all the time and some keep circulating for years (this one has been on the go since 2001!). Most of us have fallen for an email hoax at some point (including yours truly!). These days, before I forward an email message, I always check it out at www.hoax-slayer.com. This also helps me identify the scams and phishing emails.

Also, check : www.scam.com

Hoaxes are less serious than the scams and phishing emails but still not harmless: they cause worry and I have known people stop using a service because of them. If you are at all concerned about an email you have received then check it out on line. If you’re still concerned then send it to me and I’ll check it for you (for free of course!).

Finally, if you do forward these emails (and the jokes etc.) then please use your BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) function of your email program to protect your friends’ email addresses. Contact me if you don’t know how (for some reason the BCC option is not displayed by default in most email programs). You can read more about using BCC in my article:

Blind Carbon Copy - What It Is, Why And How To Use It

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