Reports of child-porn spam are increasing.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

ST. PAUL, Minn. _ "Hello dear friends!" reads the cheerful e-mail greeting. "I am Russian underage photographer. I am 51 y.o. "

Then comes the jolt: "I have portal of best underage sites in my collection. I like to photograph little girls and boys. Children like to show me genitals."

For the past few weeks, copies of this and other e-mails that advertise child-pornography Web sites have appeared in computer inboxes across the country with increasing frequency, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

While this isn't a new tactic for child pornographers, the seamy missives haven't been well publicized and have been vastly underreported by recipients, say law enforcement officials. The e-mails appear to be increasing.

The U.S. Customs Department acknowledged that it's investigating the "Hello dear friends!" e-mail, but a spokesman declined to elaborate, citing the investigation.

The e-mails are raising additional concern because they signal an increased boldness by child pornographers, who tend to ...