Raffensperger warns of corporate registration phishing scam

ATLANTA, Ga. (WALB) - Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is warning Georgians about a phishing scam related to corporate registration.

Unknown individuals are posing as the Secretary of State’s office and sending emails to unsuspecting Georgians with suspicious attachments, likely containing viruses or other malicious software, according to the secretary of state’s office.

The Secretary of State’s Corporations Division has gotten several complaints of the phishing scam that tells recipients that their “Annual Registration … has been successfully processed by the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.” The email then continues that “The filed Annual Registration is attached to this email.”

The emails include two .zip file attachments with “ann-reg” in the title, intending to trick the recipients into opening them up.

In several cases, some of the recipients did not have a business registered in Georgia or had not yet renewed their annual registrations.

Though the sender is listed as “Secretary of State,” the email comes from the @mooney.fr domain. Official email contact from the Secretary of State’s office will come from @sos.ga.gov, the domain name of the Secretary of State’s office, Raffensperger’s office said.

The phishing email has been sent to the Department of Homeland Security for further evaluation and tracking.

“Protecting Georgia businesses is my top priority as Secretary of State,” said Raffensperger. “Georgians should watch out for these scams and report them to my office as soon as they see them.”

Georgians who receive unexpected emails like this should be sure to check with the Secretary of State’s Corporations Division before taking any action, especially opening attachments or sending money.

For tips on how to avoid falling victim to a phishing attack, visit the FTC Consumer Information page.