FBI warns against new e-mail scheme

I got this as an e-mail from my University's IT department and thought it was necessary to share with you all.

FBI warns against e-mail scheme

6:42 p.m., Feb. 23, 2005--The Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned the public about an ongoing mass e-mail scheme in which computer users receive unsolicited e-mails purportedly sent by the FBI.

These bogus e-mails tell recipients that their Internet use has been monitored by the FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center and that they have accessed illegal sites. The e-mails then direct the recipients to open an attachment and answer questions. The attachment contains a computer virus.

According to a news release posted on the FBI's web site, "These e-mails did not come from the FBI. Recipients of this or similar solicitations should know that the FBI does not engage in the practice of sending unsolicited e-mails to the public in this manner."

The FBI encourages users not to open such an attachment, and users receiving such e-mail are encouraged to report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at [www.ic3.gov].