SUSPICIOUS EMAILS AND DOMAIN NAMES

The easiest way to verify the source of emails is by checking the domain name.

That's free at: http://www.allwhois.com

If the domain name isn't listed, it's phony. If it is, you'll see who owns it.

Another good source of information is the "root zone database."

http://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/index.html

It tells you where the domain name has been registered, meaning that if your correspondent says he is in Spain and his "root zone" is Vanuatu, you need to ask more questions.