Osseo Police Warn Residents About Email Phishing Scam
The Osseo Police Department is warning residents about an email phishing scam. Tuesday morning, several people received an email from the Osseo fire inspector. Chief Shane Mikkelson says it’s a fake.
Phishing is a type of online scam where criminals send an email that appears to be from a legitimate company and ask you to provide sensitive information. In this case, criminals sent an email that included an invoice and a link to view a bill. Once people click the link, their computer security is at risk.
Osseo Police warn residents about email phishing scam.
“People do this type of thing all the time. They are phishing for your personal information,” said Chief Shane Mikkelson.
Chief Shane Mikkelson also received the fake email.
“I knew right away it was fake because the inspector would never send me anything regarding a PO invoice,” said Mikkelson. “The email went out to several other city employees. They got a hold of the fire inspector’s address book.”
He says if people clicked the link and did not enter any information, their computer system should not be compromised. The chief tells people to delete the email immediately if they see it come through their inbox.
However, if anyone clicked on the link and entered an email address and password, they should reset their email password and check their system for malware, which is software that criminals use to gain access to a computer system.
City officials say the IT department was contacted and got rid of the threat. The city has information on how to avoid phishing scams on its website.
