Attorney General Kelly Ayotte today warned New Hampshire consumers that the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau of the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office has recently received a report that New Hampshire consumers may be receiving spam emails from refund@energy.gov which says "Urgent Notification" in the subject line and informs the recipient that they are due a refund from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for $480.58. The email then instructs the recipient to click on a link in the message.

Attorney General Ayotte warns that doing so may infect your computer with malware and allow hackers to steal your sensitive and personal information.

Attorney General Ayotte urges consumers to be very suspicious of any unsolicited emails asking consumers to click on a link in the message. According to the DOE, the address cited in the email for refund@energy.gov "does not exist" and assures consumers that DOE "does not collect revenue from, or issue refunds to, the general public via email".

This type of scam is used to deceive consumers so that hackers can steal their information. Once the crook has your information, it may be used to steal your identity and run up bills in your name.

In order to help New Hampshire residents from becoming victims of identity theft, and to assist those who may be victims of identity theft, the Attorney General reminds consumers to visit the Identity Theft Protection Kit on the Attorney General's Website, www.doj.nh.gov/consumer. The Identity Theft Protection Kit provides step-by-step information on what to do if you become the victim of identity theft. The Website also provides links to important information on how to protect your personal identity.

Attorney General Ayotte said, “If you receive an email from a business or government agency asking you to click on a link or to provide or verify your personal information, always check the contact information with a reliable source such as a previous statement from the business or the telephone directory. Once you have legitimate contact information, you can call the company and ask them to verify the email. But, remember, businesses or government agencies are not likely to contact you in this manner.”

Consumers who receive these scam emails are encouraged to contact the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov. The Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau of New Hampshire maintains a toll free consumer hotline at 1-888-468-4454. It is staffed Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm to assist consumers with questions related to identity theft and other consumer related issues.