FBI Spam Scam

The FBI issued a warning Monday about scam e-mails, purportedly from the agency or the CIA, indicating that recipients' Internet use is being monitored. Meanwhile, agency officials report they continue to see cyber-scammers trading on the FBI's s name in an effort to lure the gullible to parting with their money.

Some excerpts from the less-than literate spam message that's been floating around cyberspace for a couple of years now:

Our records show that you have closed an internet transaction with David Harrys. We are now able to inform you that this person is an internet scam artist. For almost 2 years he had ripped off over 100 internet buyers using Western Union for payment. We were not able to catch him until now because we don't have enough proves and details about him. Here is what we suggest:

Please pretend that you are interested in buying a product from him and accept any offer that he will make you. Follow all the instructions you receive from him regarding the payment procedure via Western Union wire transfer. We will watch this particular transaction and arrest him when he will try to pick up the funds at the Western Union office.

This way we will be able to stop his illegal activity and you will receive this amount you will have to send now and a $10,000 bonus from FBI for your cooperation.

"We don't have enough proves and details"? A $10,000 bonus for cooperating with law enforcement? These are what's known as red flags, people.