What kinds of hoaxes might I find online?

Have you heard about the little girl dying of cancer who wants you to send an e-mail to everyone you know? Did a friend send you a message about a new virus that can't be detected that will destroy your computer? Did you get a message telling you that Congress is getting ready to impose a tax on e-mail messages?

None of these are true. Internet hoaxes, false virus warnings, and urban legends have been circulating for years, and new ones are invented almost every day. Most of them appeal to our emotions - sympathy for someone in need, outrage over some alleged abuse, or greed for easy money. And almost all of them end the same way: "Forward this message to all your friends!"

 How can I avoid hoaxes?

• Be wary of any e-mail that asks you to forward the message to everyone you know. That's a very good indicator that the message is a hoax.

• Do some research to see if the e-mail is telling the truth or not. The Urban Legends Reference Pages has an excellent search engine and is a great place to start. For computer-related hoaxes, visit the Symantec Hoax Page and the CIAC HoaxBusters site.

• Try entering a few keywords in a search engine like Google to see if the e-mail you received was a hoax or not. (e.g. "e-mail tax")

• If you discover that you've received a hoax e-mail, consider gently pointing that out to the person who sent you the message and suggest that he/she pass the word on to anyone else who was sent a copy of the hoax e-mail.

 What are the top 10 virus hoaxes circulating on the Internet?