Fla.’s
attorney general warns consumers about a new phishing scam: Fake
websites are trying to steal from people who already lost data in the
Equifax hack.
TALLAHASSEE,
Fla. – Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning consumers about
a new phishing scam, targeting people who were already victimized once
by a data breach of the credit monitoring company Equifax.
An agreement reached between Equifax and most attorneys
general across the country, including Moody, set up a $425 million fund
to help those affected by a 2017 data breach that impacted nearly half
of all Americans. Now, scammers are creating fake claims websites to
again gain access to personal information from Floridians.
Moody said the phishing scam succeeds because it mimics the real claims process.
“People are trying to take advantage of those that have
already had their personal information taken through this historic data
breach,” Moody says. “They are now asking them to go to a false,
fraudulent website and again enter and expose their personal
information.”
Moody said consumers should never respond to unsolicited
emails asking for Social Security numbers, bank account details or other
personal information. Anyone who was a victim of the Equifax data
breach and wants to file a claim should visit the official claims
website, which is EquifaxBreachSettlement.com.
Floridians who feel they may have fallen for the new phishing scheme should contact the attorney general’s office.
Source: News Service of Florida