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Attorney General Warns of E-Mail Scam

July 27, 2010

Jackson--Attorney General Jim Hood is warning Mississippi consumers of a recent scam that is targeting people affected by the recent BP oil spill.   

Consumers have reported receiving an email from someone purporting to be Tony Hayward, the CEO of BP.  The e-mail begins as an apology for the oil spill.  The e-mail then states that those who respond and provide their personal information will receive $500,000 in grant funds from BP. 

The e-mail also cautions consumers not to disclose information about the grant opportunity.  Consumers are urged not to comply with this or similar e-mail requests and to use caution when opening e-mails or downloading documents from unfamiliar sources.

“Unfortunately, scammers and con artists will use disasters like the BP oil spill as an opportunity to steal from unsuspecting victims,” said Hood. “Mississippians affected by the oil spill make desirable targets for these scam artists.”

 Florida’s Attorney General Bill McCollum has also issued an advisory to Floridians about this scam.  In that advisory, McCollum’s office reported that the e-mail appeared to have originated in Nigeria and had been referred to the United States Postal Inspection Service for investigation.

When consumers receive unsolicited e-mails, some good tips to remember are:

-- You aren’t going to be awarded a grant if you didn’t apply for one 

-- E-mails soliciting personal information often contain spelling or grammatical errors

-- Never give personal information out to a stranger, particularly when you are contacted “out of the blue”

-- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is 

“You could wind up having your identity stolen in one of these scams,” said Hood. “These crooks operate from all over the country and are among the hardest predators to catch. That’s why awareness and prevention are so important.” 

 Anyone who suspects they have been a victim of this scam or any other should contact the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office at 1-800-281-4418.   More tips on scams can be found at www.agjimhood.com.