thanks Jan dunno what snopes is though i have heard of it before

Snopes is one of the more useful websites (there is also hoaxslayer - also useful) which people can refer to if they suspect say, the content of an email, to be a hoax, urban legend, scam or a virus. They describe themselves as The definitive Internet reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation.
If you have your doubts about an email story being true, you can cross reference it (scan a line in of it and then put it into a google search along with the word 'Snopes' or 'Hoaxslayer') and it will usually come up with more info.