FBI Surveillance Email

Don't open attachments in emails supposedly sent by the FBI!

The Federal Bureau of Investigation issued an alert (http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel05/emailscheme112205.htm) regarding phony emails supposedly sent from the FBI informing people that their web surfing and internet activities were being monitored. In addition, the email tells computer users that they've been tracked visiting illegal websites and that they should open an attachment to answer questions.

The FBI alert says, "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 is investigating this hoax and wants people to know that opening attachments in unsolicited emails is risky because these files often carry viruses which can infect the addressee's computer when opened.

Protect yourself from email scams by following these simple rules:

• Don't give personal information out to email requests - Never provide confidential or financial information in response to an email request. Legitimate companies will never ask for personal or financial information over an insecure medium like e-mail. Any attempt to trick people into revealing personal and financial information through fake e-mail messages is known as Phishing. Be very careful, because some of these messages look very official. Scammers focus on very well known companies when running their Phishing scams. Don't fall prey to these outlaws.
  
  
• Never open unsolicited email attachments - Following this rule will give the most internet safety bang for your buck. If an email sender is completely unknown to you then you should definitely, never, ever open an attachment in the email. You have little to gain from doing so but quite a lot to lose. Not opening unsolicited email attachments is one of the most powerful weapons in your web safety arsenal and it doesn't cost you a dime!
  
  
• Scan email attachements you do open - If you do open email attachments, even from friends or business associates, be wary and scan all e-mail attachments for viruses. Their computers may be unknowingly infected. Self-spreading worms can infect a computer and then send an infected e-mail-attachment to everyone in the owner's address book. In other words, some email message appearing to be from your friends are nothing more than automated, self-propagating and deceptive virus.