How to Check Email Hoax

Email is a quick and efficient mode of communication that allows us to reach a large number of people at the same time. It also facilitates communication by allowing us to transfer files and documents. Such huge are its benefits that, not only has it become popular with common people, but has also become an indispensable tool for business marketing and improving customer service. However, just like every innovation of man has been exploited, emails have been misused to spread rumors, computer viruses and hoaxes. Educating ourselves about such malpractices will help us to make better use of the internet. Let us learn what are the different types of email hoaxes and how to identify them.

Types of Email Hoaxes
Knowing the types of hoax emails is the first step towards dealing with them. Email hoaxes are usually of the following categories:

• Mails that appeal to help someone in trouble like missing child hoaxes or charity hoaxes.
• False virus alerts or bogus warnings.
• Email Chain Letters.
• Emails that promise free gifts or cash rewards on forwarding emails.
• Emails that make petitions and protests.

Checking for Email Hoaxes
Email hoaxes have a few peculiarities which expose them and give them away. Checking for these peculiarities will help one identify email hoaxes.

• A hoaxer wants his message to spread across many recipients possible. Phrases like Forward this to everyone you know or Forward this email to all the people in your address book are very commonly used lines in email hoaxes. Some emails might also specify a certain number of people that it should be forwarded so that you could win a prize or gain a benefit.
• Note the language of the mail. Hoax emails typically use 'over the top' style of writing. Words like Urgent, Danger, Hurry are typical of email hoaxes. For greater effect, these words are written in upper case. There are certain hoax emails that appeal to help dying children or people hit by some calamity. Such emails use language, dripping with emotion. Be skeptical and use your own judgment before forwarding such emails.
• Hoax emails try to sound authentic by claiming to be backed by some government organization or big corporate entity. If that is the case then look for some sign of genuine involvement of such an organization or entity. Try to search in for any way you could contact those organizations. If not, it's a hoax email that you are reading.
• Email hoaxes do not provide verifiable evidence or link to another website related to the content of the mail. For example, if the mail seems to be an alert for some virus, look out for a link of some other site that corroborates the information. Also look for a signature of the sender in the email. If there is no reference of the person or organization who sent the mail, it's time to reconsider the veracity of the mail.

Email hoaxes are generally harmless as they are not meant to spread viruses or collect personal information of unsuspecting users. There is no conclusive answer to, why does a person create an email hoax. However, it can be assumed that the hoaxer just wants to see how far his nonsensical mail can travel through the internet. Sometimes email hoaxes can also be used to discredit some product or company. Although email hoaxes are different from phishing, a spammer can deliberately create email hoaxes to collect email addresses for use on spam lists.

Educating ourselves about the various forms of malpractices prevalent in the world of internet, will help us contribute towards tightening internet security. Detecting email hoaxes is no rocket science. Besides the tips discussed above, a little bit of alertness and relying on one's judgment can be of great help to check such nuisance.