It never takes long ... Watch out for swine flu-related scams, the Better Business Bureau warns.

Here's the press release.

DuPont, WA – April 29, 2009 – Relying on reports from online security experts, Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to be on the lookout for fraudulent emails and Web sites trying to take advantage of the current swine flu outbreak.

"Scammers read newspapers, watch TV and surf the Internet and they know that by using a hook from the day's top headlines, that they'll be able to catch lots of fish," said Robert W.G. Andrew, CEO of BBB serving Alaska, Oregon, and Western Washington. "Right now, issues associated with swine flu and a potential pandemic are of global interest and that means scammers have a very large pond to go phishing in."

According to McAfee Avert Labs, an online security company, spammers began pumping out e-mails as soon as the first accounts of swine flu were being reported in the news, accounting for two percent of all spam messages. The messages include such subject lines as, "Madonna caught swine flu!" and "Swine flu in Hollywood!" The company reports that the e-mails do not contain malware but often link to online pharmacies.

According to F-Secure Corp., another online security company, more than 250 Web sites with the term "swine flu" have been registered within the first few days following the announcement of the outbreak and predict that the scams artists are preparing to use such Web sites in a variety of different online scams. F-Secure also reports that one Web site is already selling a "Swine Flu Survival Guide" PDF for $19.95.

BBB offers the following advice to avoid swine flu scams:

Avoid opening e-mail from an unknown source and do not click on any links in the body of the e-mail or open any attachments. Instead, delete the e-mail or report it to the Federal Trade Commission by forwarding the e-mail to spam@uce.gov.

Don't believe online offers for vaccinations against swine flu because a vaccine does not exist.

Consumers are encouraged to check their state's Department of Health Web sites for updates and further information concerning this issue:
Federal: www.cdc.gov/swineflu
Washington: www.doh.wa.gov/swineflu

Make sure your anti-virus and anti-spyware software is up to date and all operating system security patches have been installed. If your computer becomes infected as the result of a spam e-mail about swine flu, you can report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.</blockquote>

From the not everything is as it seems department...

Tacoma police are warning Craigslist users to be wary of another scam.

The department received two reports late last month about a house for sale that had been listed on Craigslist as for rent, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said Tuesday. A scam artist was trying to trick interested renters to giving up their money.

The reports were filed about the same East Side home, Fulghum said.

"Callers were concerned because of a for sale sign in the front of the house," he said. "They didn't know whether it was for sale or for rent."

The home's real estate agent got a hold of Craigslist and had the original "for rent" ad taken down. The ad reappeared, however, the next day with a different e-mail contact, Fulghum said.

Fulghum advised that people using Craigslist confirm whether a house is for sale or rent before handing over money. Contact the listed real estate agent to verify the information.

If an ad says one thing and a sign in the front yard says something else, that should be a red flag for you.

Craigslist also has posted tips to avoid scams. Find those here.

The federal Internet Crime Complaint Center has complied a list of tips for avoiding charity scams.

These are the scam artists that try to capitalize on incidents such as natural disasters by saying they are raising money for the cause.

In reality, they are raising money for themselves.

Among the center's tips:

* Do not respond to unsolicited (SPAM) e-mail.

* Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as officials soliciting via e-mail for donations.

* Do not click on links contained within an unsolicited e-mail.

Find more tips here.

Here's a good website for parents to bookmark - www.badscreennames.com

The site, developed by a Redmond father and his parnter, is a place "where Internet users post and find reviews on people who use instant messaging or web chat, online forums and online dating web sites. Our goal is to shine a light on those who wish to deceive people through the anonymity of the Internet. Our mission is to make the Internet a safer place for all," the founders wrote in a press release.

The comprehensive site allows parents to post noticed and reviews of questionable screen names they or their children have run across. The idea is to expose online child predators.

The site was featured on KOMO TV recently.

The Spokesman-Review has a story this morning about a man arrested on suspicion of stalking a 15-year-old girl he allegedly met while playing the online game, Halo.

The man flew from upstate New York to Spokane to see the girl.

You might remember that we've had our own case of Internet stalking that reporter Sean Robinson wrote about earlier this year. In the Pierce County case, the suspect found his victim in the World of Warcraft.

See his story below.

=> Read more!

KOMO has a good story on its site about yet another scam. This one involves cute little puppies that are advertised as "for sale" on the Internet.

Don't be fooled. People will even use pictures of cute puppies to get your money.

Here's the story from the AP writer Margaret Lillard

Faced with legal demands from state attorneys general, MySpace.com said Monday it will release data on registered sex offenders it has identified and removed from the popular social networking Web site.

The company, citing federal privacy laws, initially rebuffed a demand from North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper and colleagues in seven other states who last week asked for data on how many registered sex offenders are using the site and where they live.

MySpace agreed Monday to provide the information to all states after some members of the group filed subpoenas or took other legal actions to demand it. The company said last week such efforts were required under the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act before it could legally release the data.

"Different states are going about it different ways," said Noelle Talley, spokeswoman for Cooper, who filed a “civil investigative demand” for the information.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal used a subpoena that "compels this information right away – within hours, not weeks, without delay – because it is vital to protecting children," he said.

"Many of these sex offenders may have violated their parole or probation by contacting or soliciting children on MySpace," Blumenthal said.

MySpace obtained the data from Sentinel Tech Holding Corp., which the company partnered with in December to build a database with information on sex offenders in the United States.

"We developed 'Sentinel Safe' from scratch because there was no means to weed them out and get them off of our site," said Mike Angus, MySpace's executive vice president and general counsel.

Angus said the company, owned by media conglomerate News Corp., had always planned to share information on sex offenders it identified and has already removed about 7,000 profiles, out of a total of about 180 million.

"This is no different than an offline community," he said. "We're trying to keep it safe."

Angus said the company had also made arrangements to allow law enforcement to use the Sentinel software directly.

Cooper, Blumenthal and attorneys general in Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania asked for the Sentinel data last week.

Social networking sites such as MySpace allow users to create online profiles with photos, music and personal information, and lets them send messages to one another and, in many cases, browse other profiles.

Cooper said the information from Sentinel could potentially be used to look for parole violations or help in investigations. He said lawmakers in North Carolina are considering legislation that would further restrict access to social networking Web sites, including one that would require parents' permission for minors to set up a profile.

Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann said sharing the information is a good first step toward enacting those kinds of protections.

"MySpace needs to do more, including implementing an effective age verification system that will make the site considerably safer," he said.

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said his office will subpoena the records as well.

"I think once we find out the content of the messages - of course, it will depend on how long they retain that information - we may very well find that some of the messages included illegal enticement of a child," he said.

For years, Tacoma police detective Steve Holmes kept an eye on the city's sex offenders.

Now, he's enjoying retirement. Holmes last day was Friday.

Holmes joined the department as a commissioned officer in 1979. Before than, he'd been processing crime scenes. He became a detective in 1993 and had tracked sex offenders since November 1994.

KOMO TV has an interesting story on its Web site about Everett cops nabbing prostitutes who'd advertised their services on craigslist.com.

It's definitely not the traditional undercover prostitution sting but it's not surprising, either.