The email, which purports to come from officer Trevor Smallwood at the Brisbane AFP and claims to be backed by computer security company McAfee, urges recipients to forward it on to everyone in their address book to warn them on the virus-laden email.
"Emails with pictures of Osama Bin-Laden hanged are being sent and the moment that you open these emails your computer will crash and you will not be able to fix it!" says the hoax message.
"If you get an email along the lines of 'Osama Bin Laden Captured' or 'Osama Hanged' don't open the attachment.
"This e-mail is being distributed through countries around the globe. Be considerate & send this warning to whomever you know.
