Could it be true? Microsoft and AOL have merged…and all you need to do to help them with their market research is to forward an email? And then Bill Gates will send you a huge check to reward you for your services? And this time, it’s definitely real, because the person at the beginning of the email chain named “pdiddy234″ really did receive a check! It’s true!Whoa. If you believe this one, there are all kinds of unsavory folks out there waiting to dish you more of the same.

It’s just like Mom and Dad used to tell you - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Scammers, spammers, phishers…they’re out there in full force, and waiting to jump into your inbox, hoping they can rope you, your friends, and your family into their nasty corral. They pull at your heart strings with notes about missing or sick children or money needed for seemingly good causes…but then may attempt to nab your personal information to take advantage of your great credit. And worse yet, they often do it so well that you feel the need to pass this “important” or dramatic information along to all of your friends, family members, colleagues, and sometimes clients. But what if you passed along information that created a financial hardship for someone you know? No matter how legitimate an email looks, it pays to do a little research and get the facts about emails before you hit forward.

Let’s take a look at two easy sites you can use to check those emails out…or just visit to see some of the funny, interesting, and downright scary spam emails currently floating about the net.

You can get all of the dirt on the emails that you are receiving with just a few clicks of the mouse. You can visit www.truthorfiction.com to check the story out quickly and easily. Categories of topics are clearly listed, along with their determination of if the email story is indeed Truth…or Fiction. This site also lists many of the current viruses and worms traversing the internet, and gives you tools and information to help remove them.

Another great site is www.snopes.com, helping you easily find out if the email you received is the truth, a hoax, or something in between. Simply hit the “Inboxer Rebellion” Inboxer Rebellion Icon icon, then choose the topic that the email may fall under (e.g., boycotts, charity, missing and sick children, petitions, phishing expeditions, etc.), and each claim listed under that category will be marked with a color-coded indicator. For example: green green dot identifies true statements, red red dot identifies false statements, and yellow yel low dot identifies statements of undetermined or ambiguous veracity. Treat the findings like driving a car, green means go and red means stop. So, if the email you receive is marked with a green dot, feel free to forward on, if red trash it, and if yellow, do a bit more research before passing it along…or do your email list a favor and just delete it.

Additionally, think twice before sending the poems, stories and clips that tell the recipient to send on to more people within a certain period of time, so that they will enjoy good luck, prevent disaster, meet the person of their dreams…etc. Do your friends really appreciate receiving these? And how does this reflect back upon you? It may be all in fun, but think twice before blindly hitting forward.

We all like to share valuable, interesting or funny information, or attempt to help someone who appears to be in dire need. And it is so easy to go into your address book, choose the emails of recipients and just hit forward. But taking the time to do a little research first and think twice before forwarding will save you money, time…and perhaps even a friendship.

Compliments of Jon Miller Chicago Bancorp