Fraud Warning

The New York State Office of the Attorney General issued this cautionary message;

Malicious actors leverage public interest during natural disasters and other high profile events in order to conduct financial fraud and disseminate malware. The landfalls and impending landfalls of Hurricanes Florence, Isaac, and Helene, Tropical Storm Olivia, and Typhoon Mangkhut will highly likely propel the emergence of new and recycled scams involving financial fraud and malware.

Recommended Precautions:

• Do not open attachments or click on links in unsolicited e-mails or from untrusted sources.  Access the link by navigating through an organization’s website directly.
• Do not reveal personal or financial information in e-mail, and do not respond to e-mail solicitations for this information. This includes following links sent in e-mails.
• Be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, visits, or e-mail messages from individuals. If an unknown individual claims to be from a legitimate organization, try to verify the individual’s identity directly with the company or organization.
• Do not send sensitive information over the Internet before checking a website’s security.