State Police: Hoax Email Claiming to Be Traffic Ticket Contains Virus

New York State Police are investigating a hoax email "circulating heavily nationwide, primarily through Yahoo email accounts," according to a statement released today.

The subject line on the email reads "UNIFORM TRAFFIC TICKET" and encourages recipients to open a .zip file which is labeled as a traffic ticket form.

"The-mail purports to be a Uniform Traffic Ticket from the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles issued by the New York State Police," the statement reads.

Police believe the file is actually a virus and it and the email should not be opened or forwarded.

"Please do not forward it to the New York State Police or your local police," says the statement.

The NYSP and the National Crime Prevention Council remind computer users of the following cyber-crime prevention tips to protect themselves:

• Use anti–virus software, firewalls, and other security measures to protect your personal information.
• Only open emails from familiar sources and only navigate to trusted sites.
• Change your passwords every 90 days and do not allow your computer’s programs to save them.
• Back–up important files to external storage devices and be vigilant when downloading from the Internet.
• Install parental control software and monitor your child’s Internet use to keep kids safe online.
• Establish family guidelines for appropriate computer use.