if you find it useful to protect yourself from some of these email scams get a free account at either 9Y Secure Email Service - you@9y.com Short Address with Email Encryption or Hushmail - Free Email with Privacy

you must activate these free email accounts at least once every 3 weeks. however,if you receive email there they have a 'built in' detector of phony emails from whether the headers match or the return route matches the forward router in the computer. it "picks up" scam emails at once and alerts you of that when you open the email in question.. best of all it is free