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JEFFERSON CITY -- Online scammers will cash in on any public fear, and swine flu is no exception.

The Internet is overrun with bogus vaccines and flu "survival kits." Some are going for several hundreds dollars and the Better Business Bureau says it's all a rip off.

The scams started popping up just hours after news of the outbreak broke. Currently, there are more than 250 swine flu related scam Web sites, according to the BBB.

"Much like the virus is spreading around the globe, scammers are starting to spread as well," said Chris Thetford, with the St. Louis BBB. They're "trying to take advantage of this health crisis that everyone is worried about."

If you type in "swine flu" online, you'll find a number of sites selling flu "guides," with information you can just get for free from the government. You'll also find a number of swine flu "survival kits."

"One of the examples we're looking at are these masks that you see on television," said Mo. Attorney General Chris Koster. "Masks that are little more than coffee filters with a rubber band around it. And you can get 200 masks for $300."

"That's crazy," said Koster. "It's drastic price gouging."

Price gouging that primarily preys on older people and parents with small kids.  Most of the items being sold online are masks, prevention tips and treatments, which the BBB says is of "little value" in fighting the flu.

Across the country, fear of a pandemic has prompted schools to close and states to stock up on medicine - and scammers are using that to their advantage.

Some scammers are even trying to sell "swine flu vaccines."

"People need to be very leery of that," said Thetford. "Because there is no vaccine for the swine flu virus."

Legitimate flu medicines, like Tamiflu, can only be prescribed by a doctor, you can't get them online.

Two percent of all spam sent out in recent days had to do with the swine flu virus, according to McAfee, an online security company. Some phishing scams are also emerging, using this as bait. Some of the subject lines included: "Madonna caught swine flu," and "Swine flu in Hollywood."

"Right now, issues associated with swine flu and a potential pandemic are of global interest," said Michelle Corey, president of the St. Louis BBB. "And that means scammers have a very large pond to go phishing in."