It never takes them long.
Cyber criminals are already trying to take advantage of publicity surrounding the recent extension of home energy tax credits (The Green Home Blog, October 16.)
The Department of Energy (DOE) states on its website that they are aware of a phishing scam, an email that claims to be from DOE targeting the general public. The email tells the recipient that they are eligible to receive an energy refund and instructs the reader to clink on a link in the email.
DOE warns that this link may infect a computer or that the victim will be invited to submit personal information that can be used in identity theft. The example that the warning provides sounds official, specifies an amount due to the victim, and warns that "For security reasons, we will record your ip-address, the date and time. Deliberate wrong inputs are criminally pursued and indicated."
Upholding the great tradition of phishers, they have misspelled the last word; we trust they mean "indicted."
The Department states that it does not "collect revenue from, or issue refunds to, the general public via email.