SC Attorney General's Office Warns of Scam

The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office has received numerous calls from people in at least seven states about a scam. They report getting an e-mail allegedly from the Attorney General’s Office with a subject line of “Final Legal Notification” and containing what claims to be an “attorney retainer agreement.”  The document carries the seal of the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Department of Justice and a group called Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

The e-mail contains the name of an actual attorney in South Carolina who is not involved in the fraud, and a message that says, “All this agreement is about the legal case on your name and we are going to Arrest you for the same [sic].  So before we send police to your mailing address give us a call back.”

Potential victims in Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas and Virginia have called the Attorney General’s Office saying they received the e-mail.

The communications are under investigation.

Attorney General Alan Wilson said, “It is important to know that this is a scam. The Attorney General’s Office does not communicate about criminal matters this way, and it never sends an ultimatum demanding someone take specific steps to avoid being arrested.  It is important to protect yourself from being victimized.  If you receive a suspicious e-mail, do not respond to it.  Please call the Attorney General’s Office at (803) 737-3953 and report it.”

To view a copy of the scam email, click here.