DON'T let the love bug infect you this Valentine's Day.

That is the message IT experts hope to send out to Internet users weeks prior to Feb 14, when the flurry of romantic e-mail greetings make virus-laden e-mails harder to unmask.

According to global IT security firm Sophos, the notorious Storm virus is taking on the lovey-dovey e-mail as its guise this year and has already begun spamming computers worldwide.

The virus, also known as the Dorf Trojan virus, accounts for eight per cent, or one in every 12 e-mails seen by Sophos.

Subject lines used in the attack vary, but all pose as declarations of love.

Some of them include "Falling In Love with You", "Special Romance", "You're In My Thoughts", "Sent with Love", "Our Love Will Last", "Our Love is Strong", "Your Love Has Opened", "You're the One", "A Toast My Love" and "Heavenly Love".

The infected e-mail will contain a link to an Internet website.

Once clicked on, malicious code will be downloaded onto the recipient's computer, disabling anti-virus software and wreaking havoc on the user's system files.

It could also convert the computer into part of an infected network that sends out spam to names listed the user's address books on behalf of the virus' creators.

Mr Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, said in a recent press release:

"It seems the hackers were too impatient to wait for Saint Valentine's Day this year before plucking on heart strings in their attempt to infect the unwary.

"People will be truly lovesick if they let the malicious code run on their PCs."