TOM RIDGE WANTS YOUR BANK ACCOUNT!!!!!

Not really. That's just the gist of a new e-mail scam going around.

A colleague in the Capitol press room yesterday got an e-mail that began:

"In cooperation with the Department Of Homeland Security, Federal, State and Local Governments your account has been denied insurance from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation due to suspected violations of the Patriot Act. While we have only a limited amount of evidence gathered on your account at this time it is enough to suspect that currency violations may have occurred in your account and due to this activity we have withdrawn Federal Deposit Insurance on your account until we verify that your account has not been used in a violation of the Patriot Act."

To correct this impending unjust financial ruin, all you have to do is follow the link at the bottom of the e-mail.

However, according to the good folks at Snopes.com (which tracks urban legends, internet rumors, scams, etc.) the link doesn't lead to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation site as it says, but to a phony site --- in Pakistan.

Don't go there, friends.

But do check out Snopes.