Dec.31, 2009, 2:06 PM CST, From:Daily Journal

Chances are pretty good that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is not going to send you a personal e-mail. So, if your inbox includes an e-mail from Holder threatening to prosecute you for money laundering and terrorist-related activities, it most likely is a hoax.

According to the FBI, the latest version of scams using the names of high-ranking FBI executives and the names of various government agencies has hit the Internet. This one claims to be from Holder.

According to these missives, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have been informed that you, the e-mail recipient, are allegedly involved in criminal behavior. To avoid legal prosecution, you must obtain a certificate from the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman. That will cost you a total of $370.

The fraudulent e-mail includes the name of the EFCC Chairman and an e-mail address from which the recipient can obtain the required certificate.

These e-mails are a hoax, agents said. Government agencies do not send unsolicited e-mails like this. Although the FBI, Department of Justice, and other United States government executives are briefed on numerous investigations, they do not personally contact consumers about those matters or send threatening letters/e-mails to consumers to demand payment for Internet crimes.

Instead, U.S. government agencies use the legal process to contact individuals.

Consumers are advised to ignore these e-mails. Do not respond to any unsolicited e-mails or click on any embedded links associated with such e-mails, as they could contain viruses or malware.

Consumers must guard their Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in order to protect their identities.

If you have been a victim of Internet crime, you can file a complaint at http://www.IC3.gov.

To see other scam e-mails that allegedly were from government agencies, go to http://www.ic3.gov/media.

The Daily Journal has made a commitment to keep readers abreast of scams that hit our area. If someone tries to make you the victim of a scam, call us at 431-2010 and tell us what happened. We will include your story in our scam alert series to prepare others who may find themselves in the same situation.