The Federal Bureau of Investigation warned Hawaii residents yesterday that scam e-mails that purport to be from an FBI agent are flooding into the state from Nigeria.

Complaints about the e-mails began to reach the FBI in recent months, said FBI Special Agent Tom Simon. A good rule of thumb is if that many complaints are being generated, then hundreds or thousands of other e-mail users probably have received the fake e-mails as well but have not complained, he added.

The scam e-mails, which employ stilted English and contains misspellings, tell recipients they have won $8.5 million and that someone who claims to be a relative contacted the FBI to verify the recipient's identity.

The e-mail includes a picture of a U.S. citizen's passport and a fake FBI agent's name and signature.

Other e-mails sent to Hawaii residents tell recipients the FBI is levying a fine against them, something the FBI does not do via e-mail or in any other way.

“;The FBI does not send out e-mails soliciting personal information from citizens,”; Charlene Thornton, special agent-in-charge of the FBI's Honolulu office, said in a statement. “;Please be cautious of any unsolicited e-mail referencing the FBI's endorsement of any Internet activity.”;

The e-mails are probably an “;advance fee scheme”; in which recipients are asked to send money to later get a larger sum, Thornton said.

Simon said it is not known whether the passport shown in the scam e-mail is fake, stolen or real, but it will be reported to State Department officials.

People receiving the e-mails are urged to contract their local FBI office or report it to the bureau's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.