Spammers Hit 20,000 With Fake DOJ E-Mail

Feb. 1, 2008— -- Spammers have incorporated the Justice Department's logo and Web site banner into an ongoing e-mail hoax that has reached approximately 20,000 Internet users.

According to a sample e-mail provided by the department, the messages claim that the recipients have been mentioned in a complaint filed by an individual named Carl Williams.

"A complaint has been filed against the company you are affiliated to [Company Name] in regards to the domain of business activity," it says. "The complaint was filed by Mr. Carl Williams on 01/20/2008 and has been forwarded to us and the IRS."

The message refers to users listed in an attachment to the e-mail that purports to be a copy of the complaint and contain contact information for Carl Williams.

The hoax e-mail using the Justice Department's logo from its Internet page asks recipients to open the attached files and print them. This triggers the virus or worm, which then perpetuates the spread of the hoax e-mails.

On its web site, the Department has published a warning about the hoax, warning users not to respond and not to open any of its attachments.

"The Department of Justice did not send these unsolicited e-mail messages -- and would not send such messages to the public via e-mail," the warning states. Noting that similar fraud e-mails have been sent using the cover of other federal entities such as the FBI, Federal Trade Commission and IRS, the warning adds, "The e-mail messages contain a malicious attachment as well as random text used to defeat spam filters."

"E-mail users should be especially wary of unsolicited warning messages that purport to come from U.S. governmental agencies directing them to click on file attachments or to provide sensitive personal information."

This type of hoax has been seen previously on Justice Department servers. In October 2006, Internet users received hoax e-mails claiming to come from FBI Director Robert Mueller.