CENTRAL NEW YORK -- It can be hard to avoid those annoying scam e-mails in this age of electronic communications. Syracuse resident Antonio Saya said he's received a scam e-mail off of Craig's List for an apartment rental.

"My mom got one that was very disconcerting," said Melissa Dobbins of Memphis, New York.

"I've fallen for a couple, then they got my home phone number and started calling and running up the bill," said Mike Lacey of Oswego.

Now, a recent scam e-mail is circulating that's different from most of the others. It looks like it's been sent by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It tells recipients they've won $800,000. All they have to do is wire $500 to the sender.

"That's really the clear, biggest red flag. You gotta pay these fees up front before you get the money. The FBI would never send out unsolicited e-mail," said FBI Special Agent Jim Kolbe.

Even if it looks like the real thing at first glance, Kolbe points out grammatical and spelling errors in the message, like the incorrect spelling of the word “monetary.”

"Obviously, this individual felt that using the good name and reputation of the FBI would lend credence or credibility to his scam. They're asking the receiver of this e-mail to send information, their name their phone number, contact information, so that's another red flag," said Kolbe.

Kolbe said if the bureau ever needed someone's personal information, someone from the FBI would make personal contact with the individual.

To report a scam e-mail like this one, visit the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.