AG Jim Hood warns consumers of phishing scam

MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) - It's commonly referred to as phishing, and it's a type of scam that could be circulating through your email right now. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is warning consumers to be cautious when clicking links that contain unsolicited emails.

Hood says Google account holders were recent targets of this scam. Some users received an email asking to review the details of their accounts in order to comply with governmental regulations.

While the new email might appear to be from Google, that is not the case. If users click the link, they are directed to a malicious site that will steal their Google credentials and possibly install malicious code on their computers.

Hood says there are some telltale signs to look out for, like misspellings.

"Our investigators have confirmed this is a phishing scam. If you click the link, you will see that the word 'account' is misspelled on the website the user is directed to through the link. Spelling and grammatical errors are telltale signs of a scam," said Hood.

If you have a Google account, Hood urges you not to click the link. He also says not to submit any usernames, passwords or personal information through email.

Instead, you can go to https://accounts.google.com/ and use your secure login to verify any account activity.

If you happen to receive a phishing email claiming to be a business, Hood says forward the email to the actual company to inform them their name is being used.

To report information regarding a phishing scam, contact the Consumer Protection Division of the Mississippi Attorney General's office at 1-800-281-4418.

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