No one is exempt from falling victim to online impersonation, even the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission.

Nat Wood of the Consumer & Business Education division of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a warning today about spam email that appears to be coming from Maureen Ohlhausen, the acting chairman of the FTC.

It's not.

It's actually a phishing email that askes for your bank account information on the pretense that you will receive money from a government settlement with Western Union. 

If you receive this email, don't respond OR click any links.  Simply forward it to the FTC at spam@uce.gov.

Wood assures readers that the FTC does work to shut down scams, but it "will never ask for money, your Social Security number, or any banking information."  Yes, there is a settlement with Western Union in the works, but if you are entitled to a refund, you will receive a check via traditional mail.

See past postings at the SMP CyberSAFE archives page.