A Lancaster County employee’s email account was compromised Thursday morning, and officials are warning county residents not to open an email sent from an employee from the county Office of Aging.
The subject line of the email is “County Tax,” county officials said. If users click links in the email, their email addresses can be temporarily hacked and cause emails to go out from their addresses, creating a chain reaction, a county spokesperson said.
Any residents who do receive the email should not click on it and delete it immediately.
Michael Fitzpatrick, spokesperson for the commissioners office, said he did not have any additional information on other potential consequences of the phishing scheme.
The county’s internal network was not compromised by the email, according to a Thursday news release from the county, “and all data and information remain secure.”
Lancaster County Treasurer Amber Martin said the affected Office of Aging employee noticed an issue with her computer at 8:08 a.m. Thursday and notified tech support right away.
An hour before the commissioners office announced the phishing email around 1:30 p.m., Martin said she and her staff had not been notified about it.
The commissioners office did not release the information sooner because IT staff was still tracing the source of the phishing attempt, Fitzpatrick said. “Because it didn’t come from us, they had to track through everything,” he said.
Hang up the phone
LNP | LancasterOnline received a screenshot of a phishing email sent from the county employee’s account to a Lancaster County resident, which showed a fake phone number with a 717 area code on the county employee’s email signature.
When called Thursday afternoon, the listed number went to an automated phone menu prompting callers to indicate whether they are 65 or older. Depending on the caller’s response, the automated message promises to connect callers with services to acquire an affordable dream vacation, a stair lift, pest control, help with an addiction or a plumber, among others.
The phishing email reached the Office of Aging employee from a local retirement community email address, Fitzpatrick said, but he declined to say which one.
The county’s senior community centers and Office of Aging clients are being notified of the phishing scam, Fitzpatrick said Thursday.
Older adults are a frequent target of online and cellphone- based scams, according to the National Institute of Aging. Scammers often try to get personal information for access to bank accounts and financial information.
The National Institute of Aging advises that people do not transfer money to strangers or to anyone over the phone and never buy a gift card to pay someone over the phone. Older adults also should be aware that scammers sometimes use intimidation or threats to get people to act quickly.
If you suspect a scammer has contacted you by phone, end the phone call and talk to a person you trust.
