SCAM ALERT: Attorney General Carr Warns of Fake Email from Scammers Posing as Government Agency

ATLANTA, GA – Attorney General Chris Carr is warning the public about a phony email circulating that purports to be from the “Department of Consumer Affairs.” The email, which allegedly targets attorneys, says that a complaint has been filed against the recipient’s company and urges recipients to click on a link to view the complaint. This email is NOT from the Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit or any other legitimate government entity.  It is a fake email. Clicking on the link or attachment provided may allow the scammer to install malware on your computer. The scam has been reported in Georgia and South Carolina. To avoid this type of scam, follow these tips:

• Check the email address.  Since email addresses and domain names from legitimate government entities typically end with .gov, an email address ending in .com or .org that claims to be from the government can indicate it’s a scam.
• Review the email for any misspellings, grammatical errors or suspicious requests. When in doubt, pick up the phone and contact the sender directly by looking up the actual phone number for the organization; do not use the number provided in the email.
• Never give out financial or personal information to unverified sources.
• If you get a suspicious email, you should not reply to it, open any attachments or click on any links.
• Report phishing and imposter emails to the organization that the email purports to come from. Also, consider reporting the email to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, www.IC3.gov and your email provider. Then DELETE the email.

To view a copy of the fake email, please click here.