A fallacious email about the H1N1 vaccination program is being circulated over the Internet. The e-mail tells its recipients that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has implemented a H1N1 vaccination program, which requires individuals to create their personal profile on the cdc.gov website. The e-mail also mentions that a profile has to be created for those who have attained 18 years of age, and also for people who have not yet received the vaccination. This malicious e-mail has a link to a web page similar to the CDC site, and provides instructions for creating your personal vaccination profile.

This e-mail is a carrier of a computer virus, and Internet users who click on this e-mail are at risk of having a malicious code installed on their computer system. In the worst case, this malicious code could provide a stranger access to the user’s personal information, or one might become a victim of fraud or identity theft.

The CDC has issued a warning message on their website, cautioning the public to be careful of fraudulent e-mails, specially the one which ask users to create a personal H1N1 virus vaccination profile.

The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department spokesman Kevin Hall, said, “The CDC alerted the state to make sure correct information was getting to the public. Unfortunately, when more attention is placed on an issue, people out there… take advantage of the people who are affected by the problem”. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has also warned its residents not to open and respond to suspicious e-mails sent from unauthorized users. Donald W. Fleming, the Sheriff of Flagler County said, “It is easy to avoid becoming a victim of Internet phishing if you just follow some basic guidelines.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have urged Internet users to take certain precautionary measures to avoid being a victim of a phishing attack. These are the reminders offered by the CDC. “Do not open or respond to unsolicited e-mail messages. Do not click links embedded in e-mails from unknown senders. Use caution when entering personal information online. Update anti-virus, spyware, firewall and anti-spam software regularly.”