DES MOINES, Iowa (KMTV) — Iowa Auditor of State, Rob Sand is warning Iowans of a fraudulent email scam that has the goal of giving scammers your tax and bank account information.
This warning comes after this scam was attempted against The State of Iowa and Sand.
According to a press release, a Human Resources Associate with the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) contacted Sand on May 13 to alert him of an email received by DAS requesting a change in Sand’s direct deposit. Sand confirmed the email was fake.
“I want to thank Marsha Webb from DAS for contacting me and identifying this email as fraudulent,” said Sand. “She did exactly what we advise all governmental entities to do when they receive requests to redirect payments. Her actions saved me and the taxpayers of Iowa money.”
The press release further stated that Sand is strongly advising representatives of government agencies to call any vendors or individuals affected to independently confirm instructions received electronically. Also, that representatives should not respond to the email.
If a representative has received an email improperly instructing them to revise bank routing information for future payments, that information should be reported to the FBI.
They should also contact the Office of Auditor of State at 515-281-5834
The Office of the Auditor of State offers these tips to prevent email scams.
- Carefully examine the email address and URL. Slight variations in the email address or URL could be a sign of a scam.
- Look for grammatical errors or odd phrases.
- Verify payment and purchase requests in person or by calling the person via previously held contact information to ensure their legitimacy.
- Don’t click on links in unsolicited emails or text messages.
- Don’t download email attachments from people you don’t know or forwarded emails.
Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage.
Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox.
