The Centers for Disease Control is warning the public about fraudulent emails that appear to come from the CDC and tell people to create a “Personal H1N1 Vaccination Profile” on the CDC website.

Clicking on a link in the email takes the receiver to a site that looks very much like the CDC’s own web pages.  Once there, readers are encouraged to download a file which loads a malicious program on their computers which can collect sensitive information and steal identities.

The CDC stresses that they are not sponsoring a personal vaccination profile program requiring registration online.

To avoid such computer attacks, known as Phishing, the CDC recommends:

• Do not follow unsolicited links and do not open or respond to unsolicited email messages.
• Use caution when visiting un-trusted websites.
• Use caution when entering personal information online.