Scores of internet scam artists are trying to cash in on the threat of a worldwide "swine flu" pandemic, according to the Better Business Bureau.

Linda Pasacreta, the president of the BBB in British Columbia, says hundreds of websites about swine flu, real and fake, have been created in the days since H1N1 started grabbing headlines.

"They're trying to hit your wallet as fast as possible. It's amazing to see how fast they came out with websites," Pasacreta said.

"Any time we see some panic, trauma, or emergency -- including hurricane Katrina -- scammers try to cash in on any top headline of the day."

With issues of a potential pandemic of high global importance, scammers are trying to capitalize on people's hunger for the latest news.

"It happens because people start Google searching for ways to protect themselves," Pasacreta said.

"They do things that are very, very clever to catch people's eyes."

Some spam emails use celebrities to catch attention. Two popular letters circulating have subject lines that read 'Madonna caught swine flu' and 'Swine flu hits Hollywood.'

Opening the emails drives you to online pharmacies to order some vaccinations, emergency preparedness manuals and even "cure-alls" for the flu.

"Some of these promise masks and pharmacies are even running short of them. People are promising things that don't exist," Pasacreta said.

The Better Business Bureau offers tips to keep you safe:

Don't open an email from an unknown source

If you didn't ask for it don't open it. Just delete it

Visit the Canadian Centre for Disease Control website for accurate information

Don't believe unbelievable headlines

Don't believe in any 'cure-alls.' Check out any claims with regulated agencies

Update your spyware and spamware

Pascreta warns that one particular spam email going around has malware which can contain a nasty virus that infects your computer.

"And that one is going to hit your wallet extra hard," she said. "Not only will the scam take your cash but you're going to have to spring for a new hard drive too."