pcmag.com - top 10 ways to spot a hoax

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Top 10 Ways to Spot an Internet Hoax

By: John C. Dvorak

Here are my 10 tips for spotting the fraud, hoax, and scam e-mails that pile up in your inbox, so you can avoid them or get payback.
Yet another Internet hoax appeared in my e-mail box. This one, sent to everyone under the sun, tells me that illegal aliens will soon be able to collect American Social Security retirement benefits, and it's up to me to STOP THEM!

This came after a couple of notifications that someone wants to send me $16 million to hold for them. Then when they pick up the money later, I'll get a 5 percent commission. How can I resist?

In any given year, we all get at least one bullcrap e-mail like this every week. They tell us about our lottery winnings, the death of unknown relatives worth millions, deals to cheat some foreign government who had someone's husband assassinated, cheap pills from dubious sources, weird computer viruses that are on my machine "NOW! AND MUST BE REMOVED," and on and on.

So here is my top ten ways to spot an Internet fraud, hoax, or scam:

10. There is no "TO:" line whatsoever or it says "undisclosed recipients." These people do not even know your name, yet they are making you personal offers. It's a scam!

9. It's an unsolicited petition that you MUST sign or it will die and the world will deteriorate because you did not sign it. Often these are earmarked by a few thousand people who passed the received mail on and on with little notes like "this is important" or "wow, read this!" You now have their e-mail addresses and can spam them too. Do it, they are obviously suckers.

8. Somebody is dying and you need to help by passing along some note to four or five friends or ELSE.

7. It's similar chain letter as above, but this time it's not about some other person it's about you and good luck. There is usually a prayer, incantation, or image of good fortune involved. If you pass the letter along, you get good luck, and everyone who does not pass the letter around, dies a horrible death. I remove anyone who forwards me one of these from my contact list. And I never talk to them again.

6. The letter comes from Nigeria or any part of Africa. Let's face it you should not be getting letters from celebrities or politicians in Africa.

5. The e-mail you are supposed to respond to is a Gmail, Yahoo mail, or some other free service. Often it doe not match the address from which the hoax is sent. And it's usually a ludicrous address, such as [email protected].

4. The mail comes from a friend, supposedly, but the friend suddenly cannot write good English and uses a lot of exclamation marks and sounds like a 13-year-old girl.

3. The subject line is in ALL CAPS.

2. It involves a secret project, usually initiated by Bill Gates, and you can somehow get some extra spending money by responding to the note or by asking Gates personally by e-mail. After all, he has money to burn.

1. And the number one way you can spot a scam, hoax or fraud: It came over the Internet!!