MIAMI – Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody warned Monday that fraudsters were posing as Federal Trade Commission Chairman Lina Khan to steal financial information.

In a strategy known as phishing, fraudsters massively send out a fake email attempting to exploit victims’ desire to receive COVID relief funds. The email claims the recipient is eligible for financial aid, but in return, they must provide their banking information.

The FTC is not responsible for distributing COVID-19 stimulus or relief funds.

“These brazen crooks pose as a federal agency charged with investigating and ending scams,” Moody said in a statement.

Scammers have also used phone calls and texts to try to trick people into providing their personal information.

Moody is asking anyone who receives an email like this to avoid clicking on links, not responding, and reporting it to the FTC on the Report Fraud website or emailing the Anti-Phishing Task Force at [email protected] Moody said victims can also report scammers to 1-866-966-7226 or MyFloridaLegal.com.

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Moody’s advice on how to avoid being scammed by impostors

• Do not automatically trust the number on the caller ID, an email address, or a stamp on a letter;

• Avoid clicking on suspicious links in messages;

• To contact a business or government agency, search for the phone number listed online rather than the number provided in the email; and

• Never give out personal or financial information in response to a solicitation.

• Share this brochure on IRS Impostor Scams by clicking here. To go to the Scams at a Glance webpage for more content related to other common and emerging scams, click here.

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