Scam email circulating about H1N1

MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – The H1N1 outbreak appears to be slowing in Michigan, at least for now.

State health officials say the number of reported cases have declined, but it's too early to say whether flu cases have peaked. Those lower numbers could be partly attributed to the growing availability of vaccine.

That vaccine is still not widely available, and that fact has brought out some scam artists looking to take advantage.

They State Health Department says someone is sending out emails trying to steal personal information, and they're using the flu vaccination program to do it.

Many people are anxious to get the swine flu vaccine, and the email basically says that you can't get the vaccine without filling out a form, it even asks those who have had the vaccine to fill the form out. It asks for a lot of personal information that can be easily snatched up to steal identities.

The email offers a link to 'create a profile' and officials are warning people not to click on it.

James McCurtis of the Michigan Department of Community Health says that link can also take over your computer.

"If you click on there, there's some type of embedded message or something that will cause your program, your computer to possibly malfunction," said McCurtis.

The email specifically asks for anyone over the age of 18 to create a profile, saying that unless that is done, you won't get the vaccine.

The Center for Disease Control says it's a scam. The CDC is urging people not to follow this, or any other link sent by someone you don't know, don't even open the email, or any other you didn't request be sent, and always use caution when visiting a website you're not sure can be trusted and always be careful when entering any personal information on the internet.

The health department says if you do get the email, there is no need to call and report it, they are already aware of the issue, they say the best thing to do is simply delete it.