(The Center Square) – Attorney General Ken Paxton is warning Texans of a “phishing” scam being used by cybercriminals attempting to steal their personal information using his name, signature and the official seal of Office of the Attorney General in an email.
The email phishing scam is being used to “scare consumers by claiming they have committed identify theft and are facing prosecution and significant jail time” Paxton said. The criminals sending the emails are purporting to be the attorney general or someone from his office sending an official document. Once the email is opened, recipients are instructed to call a toll-free number and to give their personal data to someone over the phone.
All Texans who receive an email or any other communication like it are encouraged to report it to the AG’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-621-0508 and or file a complaint online.
“Phishing is a cybercrime in which a target or targets are contacted by email, telephone or text message by someone posing as a legitimate institution to lure individuals into providing sensitive data such as personally identifiable information, banking and credit card details, and passwords,” Phishing.org states. “The information is then used to access important accounts and can result in identity theft and financial loss.”
