DCP Issues Scam Warning

Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection is warning of a new email scam impersonating its employees.  

The agency said it is important for the public to pay close attention to emails seemingly coming from the department.  

Impersonation scams target the general public to steal personal information and money.  

Consumers reported losing $789 million to government imposter scams last year across the country.  

“Government impersonation scams aim to deceive consumers through email, phone calls and even letters sent through the mail,” commissioner Bryan Cafferelli said.  

“If you receive an unusual message from a state agency or organization, your first instinct should be to pause and do more research to verify the communication is legitimate.” 

Warning Signs  

Agency officials highlighted four areas to check for warning signs in an email.  

1. Sender’s information: All state of Connecticut government emails end with ct.gov. An email with two domains is an indication of a scam.  
2. Clarity of message: Phishing emails commonly use vague information to entice someone to respond, click, or download attachments.  
3. Wrong information: If there are phone numbers, addresses, or employee names on the email, doing a quick search to verify the information can reveal the email is a scam. DCP employees are listed here.  
4. Suspicious links: Phishing emails tend to include links to click. If you are unsure if you need to provide documents to an agency, reach out to a website contact to confirm. Do not click any links.  

DCP provided an example of a scam email impersonating agency staff [above]. You can see warning signs throughout the message.  

If you receive an email from DCP and want to verify its legitimacy, you can find the appropriate contact on DCP’s website.  

Consumers are encouraged to report scams to DCP as well.