Be wary of e-mail that says someone has filed a complaint against you or your company with the Department of Justice, Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration or Better Business Bureau.
According to the FBI, the e-mail messages are intended to appear as legitimate communications from the various agencies and they address recipients by name. Other personal information may also be included in the e-mail.
Consistent with similar schemes, the e-mail likely will attempt to obtain personally identifiable information, the FBI says. In creating a sense of urgency about the phony complaint, the e-mail tries to trick recipients into clicking on a link, opening an attachment, or picking up the telephone to make a call.
It is believed that the e-mail refers to a complaint that can be viewed only by clicking on an attachment, which contains virus software designed to steal passwords from the recipient's computer. The virus is wrapped in a screensaver file where most anti-virus programs are unable to detect its malicious intent, the FBI says.
Once downloaded, the virus is designed to monitor user name and password log-ins, record the user's activity online and record other password-type information.
The FBI says to beware of any e-mail received from an unknown sender. Do not open any unsolicited e-mail and do not click on any links provided. If you have received a scam e-mail, notify the authorities by filing a complaint at www.ic3.gov.