CLEVELAND -- Hundreds of Ohioans received a disturbing e-mail message that says it will soon be illegal to use a cell phone while driving in your car in the state of Ohio, NewsChannel5 consumer reporter John Matarese reported.

The e-mail -- spreading rapidly to in-boxes -- says that as of July 1, motorists will no longer be allowed to talk on a cell phone while driving in Ohio, unless using a hands-free Bluetooth device.

The e-mail is filled with many facts about the new law, and states a motorist can be stopped and fined if a police officer sees a person talking and driving. It also details the various fines a driver could face.

Matarese said the e-mail is a hoax. There is no such law in Ohio.

The state of California, not Ohio, is banning hands-on cell phone use in cars. The e-mail is copied word for word from California's DMV Web site, with slight doctoring: The word "Ohio" is substituted for California each time.

If you receive the e-mail, let the sender know that it is a hoax. Matarese said 95 percent of forwarded e-mails are untrue.

The city of Brooklyn, Ohio, broke new ground in 1999, becoming the first city in the country to ban cell phone use while driving. North Olmsted and Walnut Hills have since adopted bans.

Three states, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, also have bans, with Washington state and California to join the list July 1.