Taken from Dr. Webbie, Website Compas
How to tell when an important sounding email that I'm supposed to forward is legitimate or a hoax.
5 Signs that an email is a hoax
1. Urgency
You'll see lots of exclamation points and words in all caps, like URGENT!!!! and WARNING!!!!!
2. "Tell all your friends"
There will always be a request that you share this "important information" by forwarding this message to everybody in your email address book or to as many friends as you can.
3. "This isn't a hoax"
The message may include sincere premise like "My neighbor, who works for Microsoft, just received this warning so I know it's true. He asked me to pass it along."
4. Dire consequences
The text will predict dire consequences if you don't act immediately — a missing child won't be found or someone won't be able to die happy.
5. History
Look for lost of >>>>>> marks in the left margin. These indicate that people who fell for the hoax have forwarded the message countless times before it reached you.
When in doubt, do your homework at www.hoaxbusters.org, www.snopes.com, or www.scambusters.org