Department of Justice | Justice Department = Alerts Public About Fraudulent Spam Email

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27,=20 2007
WWW.USDOJ.GOV

CRM
(202) = 514-2008
TDD (202)=20 514-1888

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ALERTS PUBLIC ABOUT FRAUDULENT SPAM = EMAIL

Justice Department Urges Public Not to Respond to = Email

WASHINGTON =E2=80=93 The Department of Justice has recently become = aware of=20 fraudulent spam e-mail messages claiming to be from DOJ. Based upon = complaints=20 from the public, it is believed that the fraudulent messages are = addressed "Dear=20 Citizen." The messages are believed to assert that the recipients or = their=20 businesses have been the subject of complaints filed with DOJ and also = forwarded=20 to the Internal Revenue Service. In addition, such email messages may = provide a=20 case number, and state that the complaint was "filled [sic] by Mr. Henry = Stewart." A DOJ logo may appear at the top of the email message or in an = attached file. Finally, the message may include an attachment that = supposedly=20 contains a copy of the complaint and contact information for Mr. = Stewart.

THESE EMAIL MESSAGES ARE A HOAX. DO NOT RESPOND.

The Department of Justice did not send these unsolicited email = messages =E2=80=94 and=20 would not send such messages to the public via email. Similar hoaxes = have been=20 recently perpetrated in the names of various governmental entities, = including=20 the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Trade Commission, and = the=20 Internal Revenue Service. Email users should be especially wary of = unsolicited=20 warning messages that purport to come from U.S. governmental agencies = directing=20 them to click on file attachments or to provide sensitive personal=20 information.

These spam email messages are bogus and should be immediately = deleted.=20 Computers may be put at risk simply by an attempt to examine these = messages for=20 signs of fraud. It is possible that by "double-clicking" on attachments = to these=20 messages, recipients will cause malicious software =E2=80=93 e.g., = viruses, keystroke=20 loggers, or other Trojan horse programs =E2=80=93 to be launched on = their computers.

Do not open any attachment to such messages. Delete the e-mail. Empty = the=20 deleted items folder.

If you have received this, or a similar hoax, = please file=20 a complaint at http://www.ic3.gov/. Within the complaint, please = list=20 "DOJ Spoof Email" in the "Business = Name" field=20 of the complaint, where complainants are directed to place the name of = the=20 business which has victimized them, as this will allow the IC3 to easily = retrieve and process these complaints.

Consumers can learn more about protecting themselves from malicious = spyware=20 and bogus e-mails at OnGuardOnline.gov, a Web site created by the = Department of=20 Justice in partnership with other federal agencies and the technology = industry=20 to help consumers stay safe online. The site features modules on spyware = and=20 phishing, at http://onguardonline.gov/spyware.html and http://onguardonline.gov/phishing.html.

Consumers can also obtain information on Internet safety at

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