Become a trusted source

Verify computer viruses and other potential hoaxes before you e-mail them to your contacts.

By now, you probably realize that a Nigerian government official isn’t really going to send you millions of dollars, Bill Gates won’t pay you for using his software, and Congress hasn’t proposed a bill to tax e-mail–yet. If those offers and scenarios sound familiar, then you are among the millions of computer users to receive the above hoaxes via e-mail.

But what about other offers and virus warnings arriving in your in-box that sound legitimate? While you intend to help your clients and colleagues by forwarding such information, you’re likely passing along hoaxes and misinformation and adding to the useless, unsolicited e-mails most people already receive.

Check it out

After getting "virus warnings" and other hoaxes from you, recipients might start deleting everything they get from your e-mail address–unread–because you aren’t a good source of information. When you attempt to perform
e-mail marketing or send these people other legitimate business-related messages, they never see them.

Before you hit the Send button, take a moment to verify the information in the message. If e-mail recipients know you send them only verified information, they’ll trust you and pay attention to your e-mails. It’s worth a few minutes of your time to establish trust with people and get them to actually read your e-mails amid the many sitting in their in-boxes.

True or false?

When you get an e-mail warning of a computer virus, visit the Web sites of companies that make virus-protection software to see if your threat is listed. McAfee (http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp) and Symantec (http://securityresponse.symantec.com) offer lists of virus hoaxes, jokes, and Internet scams as well as provide other pages on their sites with lists of real viruses.

For a wider range of e-mail hoaxes, Snopes.com, TruthOrFiction.com, and VMyths.com all offer categorized databases of fact and fiction. These sites cover computer-related topics as well as urban legends and other myths.

So, before you alert all your contacts about the little boy who needs money for a life-saving operation, find out the truth. Your e-mail recipients will appreciate your effort and see you as a good source for information.

Illustration © Brand X Pictures.

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