JEFFERSON CITY, April 5, 2005—Director Mark James today issued a warning to Missouri citizens that attachments to an unsolicited e-mail purportedly sent by the FBI should not be opened. Recipients of this e-mail should immediately notify the Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://ic3.gov.

This online scam claims to be sent by the FBI. Missourians should know that the FBI does not contact the general public via e-mail and any such message claiming the FBI as sender is intended to harm your computer.

The e-mail tells those who receive the message that they have accessed illegal Web sites and are being monitored by the FBI. The e-mail then asks recipients to fill out a question-and-answer form attached to the message. Upon opening the attachment, the recipient’s hard drive is attacked by a virus.

Director Mark James warns that not all public safety hazards pose a physical threat to Missourians.

“Online scams often do not cause physical injury to Missourians, but they can be the cause of both financial and property damage,” James said. “Many times criminals aim to attack the vulnerable for the pure enjoyment of knowing they caused others distress. We want to prevent Missourians from falling victim to such acts of hatred.”

The Internet Crime Complaint Center is a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). Fill out a notification form at http://ic3.gov if you or anyone you know has received this e-mail scam. For information regarding the “FBI” e-mail scam, please contact Terri Durdaller at (573) 751-4819.

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