ScamWatch, an Australian government Web site dedicated to protecting consumers, offers the following five warning signs that you’ve received a pharmacy spam e-mail –

1. You receive an unsolicited email offering cheap or hard-to-get pills or treatments. Often, these emails will promote well-known drugs such as Prozac or Viagra.

2. The subject title of the email has nothing to do with the products on offer.

3. The words in the email are spelt incorrectly or have apostrophes and spaces in the middle of the words. This is done to try to avoid anti-spam filters.

4. The email or website will sell you drugs that you would normally need a prescription for, even if you don’t have a prescription.

5. The pharmacy’s website is based overseas or does not include a contact telephone number or street address.

The site also recommends the follow seven ways to protect yourself –

1. Use your common sense: the offer may be a scam.

2. Be very careful about offers for medicines, supplements or other treatments: always seek the advice of your health care professional.

3. Do not open suspicious or unsolicited emails (spam): delete them.

4. Do not click on any links in a spam email, or open any files attached to them.

5. Never call a telephone number that you see in a spam email.

6. Check the website address carefully. Scammers often set up fake websites with very similar addresses.

7. Never enter your personal, credit card or online account information on a website that you are not certain is genuine.