Local police respond to scam emails report

A local athletic club contacted Siloam Springs Police Department detectives on Feb. 15 to report they had received a suspected hoax email advising, “Your business is being shut down.” The sending email address displayed an email name from “Arkansas Governing Authorities” and a variant of one of the general email addresses used by the Siloam Springs Police Department. The department is investigating the origin of this email, which appears to be sent from a non-U.S. IP address.

Hoax emails of this type have been circulating through the internet for several years. In many instances, hoax emails may threaten the recipient with jail or direct the person to open a link or attachment which may contain a virus. Often these emails are used to harass the recipient or obtain personal information.

Many of these emails indicate they are sent from a local, state of federal authority. Legitimate agencies do not threaten arrest, business closure, or mandate payment of fines or fees through the use of email.

The Siloam Springs Police Department would like to remind the community that email hoaxes continue to be more prevalent as criminals attempt to obtain personal information. If you receive an email you believe is a hoax or a scam, do not open any attachments. Citizens can report scam emails to local law enforcement or the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.