Sweetwater County Sheriff warns public about latest email scam

Sweetwater County, WY. – An email scam from swindlers posing as Amazon representatives is in circulation, and Sweetwater County Sheriff Mike Lowell issued a warning about it Wednesday.

The email, shown here, purports to be from Amazon and offers a refund on a recent “double charge;” all you have to do to get the refund is update your billing information.

“This is a scam called ‘phishing,’” Lowell said. “The email isn’t from Amazon, it’s from swindlers, and you’re not updating your billing information, you’re providing criminals with important personal and financial information, such as credit card numbers, account numbers, user names, and passwords.”

Scammers often take special pains to make their phishing emails appear genuine. Authorities recommend that you never respond to such information requests without first contacting the retailer independently.

For more information on this and many other fraud schemes, law enforcement officials recommend the FBI website at http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud .