The Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has issued a consumer alert for attorneys specifically due to recent reports of a particular phishing scam that comes in the form of an email claiming that the firm is the subject of a complaint.

The email includes a link to the complaint.Please warn your staff to NOT click on this link.It has been reported that it will bring you to a website that downloads and installs malicious software on the computer.

Below is an example of the email:

From: The Office of the State Attorney
Date: Wed, November 30, 2016 at 10:37 AM
Subject: The Office of the State Attorney Complaint
To: Bar Member

Dear Bar Member:

A complaint has been filed against your Business.

Enclosed is a copy of the complaint which requires your response.You have 10 days to file a rebuttal if you so desire.

complaint88947.pdf

Rebuttals should not exceed 15 pages and may refer to any additional documents or exhibits that are available on request.

The Office of The State Attorney cannot render legal advice nor can the Office of the State Attorney represent individualsor intervene on their behalf in any civil or criminal matter.

Please review the enclosed complaint.If filing a rebuttal, please do so during the specified time frame.

Sincerely,

The Office of the State Attorney.

How to avoid phishing scams

1. Always use caution when opening email.It is best to be cautious when opening email especially if you don't know the sender.If the email contains a link do not click on it unless you are sure it is safe.Never forward personal information to anyone in an email.
2. Call the sender.Ask the if they purposely meant to send you an email to verify its authenticity.
3. Use the latest Anti-Virus software and get a good firewall.Make sure you have a good anti-virus software and it is up to date with the latest definitions. Also make sure you have a business class firewall with advanced persistent threat protection to block incoming threats to your network.
4. Report suspicious activity.If you receive emails that are part of a phishing scam report them to your ISP, your spam filter and the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov.

How Glasser Tech can help

Let us come and do a cybersecurity risk assessment on your network.We'll check what you have and make recommendations on how you can best protect yourself from attack.

Call us today at 516-762-0155 and make an appointment.