By CHRIS DICKERSON
CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey says an email scam is targeting business owners with a “pending consumer complaint.”
The fraudulent email claims to be from the Federal Trade Commission and asks the business owner to click on a link. By doing so, malware could be installed on a computer that can cause the device to crash. Malware also can be used to monitor and control a person’s online activity, steal his or her personal information, send spam, and commit fraud.
“Sometimes e-mails like this can be very deceiving. This particular email uses an FTC logo, references the Consumer Credit Protection Act, and mentions a formal investigation,” Morrisey said in a press release. “It’s easy to understand why people might believe these e-mails are legitimate, but the fact is they’re not.”
Morrisey said business owners should follow these safety tips if they receive an email alerting them of a complaint:
* Look for strange phrasing, improper grammar and suspicious sender e-mail addresses; all are good indicators of a spam message.
* Do not click on links embedded in e-mails or respond to the message. If you do click on a link, immediately run a complete virus scan on your computer
* Forward the email to spam@uce.gov, and then delete as soon as you do.
