FSCO issues warning over spam email appearing to come from the regulator

The Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) has issued a warning about a spam email using the fsco.gov.on.ca domain name and email address richard@fsco.gov.on.ca, which it said has been transmitting a computer virus to unsuspecting members of the public.

The warning, on Thursday, said that the email appears to be sent by a FSCO employee named Richard with the aforementioned email and also appears to be sent to the email address rmcdouga@fsco.gov.on.ca. The two emails are not authorized FSCO email addresses and the spam email is not being sent by FSCO or any member of its staff, the regulator said in a press release.

The release said that the spam email informs the public that they have been subpoenaed by the Washington, DC-based Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and includes a link titled “FTC Subpoena.” The link is believed to contain malicious software, which could infect a computer when an unsuspecting person clicks on it.

According to the release, the spam email also states that Richard Kent is a senior accountant with the FTC. “At this time, there are no records of a person named Richard Kent employed by the FTC as a senior accountant, and there is no connection between FSCO and the FTC,” the release said.

Recipients of the email from richard@fsco.gov.on.ca are encouraged to contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.