Attorney General Frosh Warns Consumers About Email Hacking Scam

BALTIMORE (WJZ)--Attorney General Brian E. Frosh is warning Marylanders about a new email scam that hacks into consumers' personal computers.

Frosh's office says the scammers are using an email address that looks like it might be from the Office of Attorney General, with a subject line: "The Office of Attorney General Complaint." These emails are being sent to consumers in an attempt to steal personal identifying information. The emails claim that a complaint has been filed against the user and includes a link that sends users to a zip file that installs malware.

"This scam is particularly deceitful and hits too close to home as our office would never send complaints by email," said Attorney General Frosh. "It's always a good rule of thumb never to open emails that claim to be from an official government agency, if the email address does not end in .gov or .us. Consumers should always be vigilant with personal information so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

Marylanders who receive an unsolicited email should be cautious of the content and be careful to not provide any personal information unless the sender is known and trusted. Consumers should delete emails from unknown senders.

If a consumer thinks they have been a victim of a scam or have other questions about how to handle these situations, they should contact Consumer Protection Division at 410-528-8662 or toll free at 888-742-0023.

Consumers can file a complaint at https://www.oag.state.md.us/Consumer/complaint.htm or by mailing a hard copy of the complaint form found online, along with any supporting documents, to 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202.