JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A computer virus rumored to go into effect on April Fools Day may have already infected millions of PCs, according to some computer experts.

They said a virus may well be worming its way through the bowels of some people's computers, and on April 1 the computer world will either be the victim of a huge hoax or a huge headache.

"It's triggered by date, but April 1 is supposed to be the date this virus is executed," said lead Geek Choice technician Mike Burns. "When it hits, I'll take care of it. That is my job."

Burns said the virus known as the Conficker Worm, which is believed to activate on April Fool's Day, is a very real threat.

"Basically, users need to realize that surfing the Internet is like driving a car. You can't just click anything," Burns said.

He told Channel 4 there are a number of things to look out for if someone suspects a PC has been infected with the virus.

"Some people think it's going to be a mass-mailer. Some people infected by it could become a catalyst. Outlook, Outlook Express could start shooting out spam all over the Internet.

A common piece of advice with computers is to never download anything from anyone you don't know, and if you do know the person who sent you an e-mail with an attachment contact the person to make sure they actually sent the email.

The Conficker Worm is rumored to have infected numerous computers already since October, and many are wondering if the end result will just be an April fool's prank, a lot of spam or something a lot more sinister.

"Imagine our infrastructure, the government if these viruses can break through firewalls, reconfigure code, then we're in trouble," Burns said.

Microsoft is taking the threat of the virus very seriously. Some reports state the company is offering up to a few hundred thousand dollars for information leading to who developed the virus.