Your Internet Consultant - The FAQs of Life Online

4.40. Wow! I just got e-mail from Elvis! (Is it possible to forge e-mail?)

A few years back, I started receiving electronic mail from Easter.Bunny@never.never.land. Mr. Bunny, ever a kind-hearted soul, wanted to know what color eggs I wanted come Easter. It didn't take an expert Internaut to discover there was no never.never.land on the Internet, and there is certainly no Easter Bunny. Sad but true on both counts.

Although silly and harmless, I had received forged electronic messages. It is indeed possible to forge electronic mail, making it appear to the untrained eye that it came from a user that didn't really send it. If you should receive mail from the Easter Bunny or Brooke Shields, or if you get mail that doesn't sound like it came from someone you know, although it seems to signed by that person, try to confirm that the message is legitimate before proceeding. Forged e-mail is not common, but it's something to keep in mind.

Table of Contents | Previous Section | Next Section