Internet hoaxes are not too hard to detect when you know what to look for. They fall into a number of categories, and for each category there are some pretty obvious pointers to look out for.
Virus hoaxes are probably your most immediate concern, because some of these hoaxes instruct you to delete important files from your computer, or even to re-format your hard drive. That's the first pointer to look for! If an email tells you to search for and delete a specific file, it's probably a hoax. Never delete anything from your computer until you have run your virus scan and checked with a reputable virus protection resource!
Hoaxes are also given away by the absence of links to more complete information. In the case of a virus hoax, the message you receive may claim the virus has been detected by a company such as Microsoft or Norton or McAfee. But look for a link on these sites to information about the virus - and check to be sure the link goes to a genuine site! Compare the link address to the ones here, or find the company on your favourite search engine.
Some hoaxes tug at your heart strings - or your greed! Watch out for messages that claim they are tracking how many people the email is sent to. It's not true! No company is offering secret recipes or rebate coupons to people who forward email. And no charity is giving or receiving money for every message forwarded. The goal of these hoaxes is to waste bandwidth and to get a good laugh at the people who are fooled.
Unfortunately, they also waste valuable resources as staff are tied up answering email and phone calls about the hoax. So, fight the impulse to pass on a hoax even if there's a lovely story or poem attached to it! You'll be doing your part to see that funding goes to the people who really need it!
The giveaway with these hoaxes is, again, that they claim email is somehow being tracked. This just doesn't happen. And just like the virus hoaxes, you'll notice that messages don't contain any genuine links. Also, try to keep in mind that companies generally have advertising budgets. Charities and stores never rely on chain letters to do the publicity for them!
Hoax and Scam Resources
Hoaxbusters - Computer Incident Advisory Capability Hoax Pages (US Department of Energy)
Internet Scams - University of Victoria Help Desk
Latest Scam Reports - RCMP Fraud Squad
Urban Legends - One of my favourite resources!
Do Internet Petitions Work?
Check it out at Urban Legends!
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