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There are several categories of E-Mail hoaxes, the more dangerous of which is the false virus warning. While it takes some intelligence, however misguided, to design and spread a virus, the perpetrator of a virus hoax does not need a great degree of talent.
The warning will tell you that your computer may be infected with a virus from the sender or some other source. You will be asked to delete a file from your computer that may be infecting your computer; in fact, the file is needed by your computer to perform some important function.
The best thing to do is check out the story at one of the hoax warning sites. Both the major Virus Protection companies, Norton and McAfee have them. Check out www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html and vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp.
The person who sent the mail is probably unaware that what they are sending you is a hoax. Once you know it is a hoax, the best thing to do is to warn the sender and other recipients, if possible. Legitimate hoax warnings usually come from trusted sources such as Microsoft or an Anti-Virus company. They are often also reported in the mainstream media.
Another type of hoax may promise to send you money or gifts if you pass an email on to a number of people. Often a well-known company is named. Another example involves an untrue story intended to scare you. Don’t forward these messages until you check them out. A good hoax-busting site is hoaxbusters.ciac.org.