FTC chairman the new Nigerian prince?

The Federal Trade Commission is warning consumers this week that if they receive an email from its Chairman Joseph Simons promising unclaimed inheritance to not respond or open it.

 

Seriously. Don’t.

 

According to an alert from the FTC issued Thursday, scammers pretending to be Mr. Simons are “trying to trick you into turning over personal information, like your birth date and home address, which could help them scam you.”

 

The alert says “if you get an email from the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission about getting money because of an inheritance or relief funds related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic — or anything else — do not respond. Do not give out your personal information.”

 

The FTC recommends people to not be lured and to hit “delete” instead.