The Cortland County Sheriff’s Office is warning people about a phishing scam circulating in the area.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, employees are receiving emails that say their W2s are available and to login to see them.
The link takes the person to a phony Human Resources site.
The Sheriff’s Office says both the email and the site are convincing in their design.
Victims risk compromising their personal information, including their tax information, bank account information, personal contact information, and benefit information.
The Sheriff’s Office recommends the following:
• Do not reply to email with any personal information or passwords. If you have reason to believe that the request is real, call the institution or company directly.
• Do not click a link in an unsolicited email message. If you have reason to believe the request is real, type the web address for the company or institution directly into your web browser.
• Do not use the same password for your work account, bank, Facebook, etc. In the event you do fall victim to a phishing attempt, the thieves will try the compromised password in as many places as they can.
• Change ALL of your passwords if you suspect any account you have access to may be compromised.
• Be equally cautious when reading email on your phone. It may be easier to miss telltale signs of phishing attempts when reading the email on a smaller screen.
• If you have received this phishing email, do not open the message.
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