Concord, NH – Attorney General John M. Formella issues a Consumer Alert warning New Hampshire residents about a recent report of scammers sending a fraudulent letter purporting to be from the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office to a New Hampshire resident.

The fraudulent letter  appears to be issued on Attorney General's Office official letterhead and falsely purports to be signed by New Hampshire's Deputy Attorney General. The letter falsely claims that the recipient's identity has been used in connection with a purchase through an online retailer. The letter falsely claims that the Attorney General's Office is investigating the "unsanctioned transaction" and seeks the resident's cooperation. The letter warns that any of the resident's accounts (financial and non-financial) linked with the resident's social security number will be shut down. The letter also provides contact information that is not legitimately associated with the Attorney General's Office or with any other law enforcement agency.

The resident, believing the letter to be legitimate, called the telephone number listed in the letter. The resident was then asked to purchase gift cards from a local retailer and to send photos by telephone of the gift card numbers. In addition, the resident was asked to send cash through the mail and to provide personal identifying information, including the resident's social security number.

Attorney General Formella offers the following tips to avoid falling victim to this scam:

• Know that the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office will never send correspondence to identity fraud victims (or any other crime victims) threatening to shut down the victim's accounts;
• Know that no law enforcement agency, including the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, will demand that you purchase and send gift cards or gift card information, or cash related to a matter;
• Be wary of any unexpected correspondence purporting to be from a law enforcement agency, including the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, seeking personal identifying information, including your social security number;
• Always verify contact information provided in correspondence purporting to be sent from a law enforcement agency, including the Attorney General's Office, through a known and trusted source, such as an official government website. The Attorney General's Office official contact information can be found at www.doj.nh.gov.

This matter is currently being investigated by the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau of the Attorney General's Office. If you or someone you know receives this scam letter or has fallen victim to this or another scam, report it to your local police department and the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau of the Attorney General's Office. Complaints can be filed at: https://www.doj.nh.gov/consumer/complaints/index.htm or by calling the Consumer Hotline at (603) 271-3641.