Constituent Update

November 6, 2019

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting industry that we’ve recently become aware of a phishing scam directed at certain food businesses using a fraudulent email that appears to be from the FDA. The fake email, along with a PDF attachment have been sent from the domain names hotmail.com and outlook.com. The email, directed at “management,” falsely states that the agency had issued an “advisory letter.”

Phishing is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information under the guise of a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Typically carried out via email or instant messaging, it often directs users to enter personal information at a fake web site which matches the look and feel of the legitimate site. 

If you receive an email that looks suspicious, follow these steps:

1. Do NOT click on any links or attachments.
2. Do NOT reply or send personal or proprietary business information.
3. Do NOT forward the email to anyone, including any FDA email address. (This increases the chances of the virus escaping.)
4. Delete the email from your computer completely and be sure to empty your “trash can” or “recycling bin”.
5. Always report suspicious email to your IT or cybersecurity office.