I always try check the source of email that I forward; some of us have learned the hard way at some point in our eLives. There is one way to check that is very nearly guaranteed to find the hoax ... and that is to search Snopes. Sometimes you need to finagle the keywords; Googling an exact phrase from the email will bring Snopes up an urban legend front and center. You'll usually find the top 25 urban myths on Snopes which comprises the top 25 most-widely circulating hoaxes.
If you receive a virus alert message that you feel you need to send on to your friends and family or coworkers - check VirusHoax first before you forward anything about it. One may be very, very true and you'll find that out if it is.
"That's what this site is all about. We're here to help you make sense of the viruses and virus hoaxes that are floating around the internet. After all, wouldn't it be nice to know which warnings are the ones to worry about and which ones you can safely send to the recycle bin? Sign up for our email alerts (we will never give or sell your email address to any other company) and you'll receive info on what's a virus -- and what's not. Don't be fooled by the latest hoax."
However, please, if you've received a warning email and discovered the hoax - reply directly to the writer of the email. Kindly ask them to let their friends and family know about the hoax. There's nothing heroic in making a fool of someone in everyone's eyes.
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