Ohio Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing Reminds Licensees to Be Careful of Fraudulent Emails After Recent Incidents

COLUMBUS, Ohio - After receiving reports recently of fraudulent emails purportedly from the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing (REPL), the Division is reminding its more than 55,000 licensees to always verify that an email is legitimate before clicking on it.

For the second time this year, multiple licensees recently made the Division aware of an email they received that appears to be from the Division. The email, which improperly uses the Division's logo, claims that a licensee's contact information may be outdated. It then urges recipients to click on a link to verify their email, phone number, and mailing address in order to keep their license in good standing.

The Division stresses that this email is not from the Division, as the fraudulent messages were sent from an email address that does not end in "com.ohio.gov."

After these recent reports, the Division advises licensees to:

• Never click on unfamiliar or suspicious links.
• Immediately delete suspected fraudulent emails.
• Always verify that any communication from the Division is legitimate by ensuring the email address ends in com.ohio.gov.
• Never download attachments or files from unknown sources.

"Scam emails are becoming more sophisticated, and the ones we have seen this year look convincingly official," said Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing Superintendent Daphne Hawk. "If our licensees receive an email and something feels unusual, I urge them to reach out to us directly so we can verify whether it is legitimate. Protecting our licensees' information is a top priority for the Division."

The Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing is committed to safeguarding licensee information. Licensees who receive suspicious emails or believe they may have interacted with a fraudulent message should contact the Division at [email protected].

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About the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensin
The Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing is part of the Ohio Department of Commerce. The department is Ohio's chief regulatory agency, focused on promoting prosperity and protecting what matters most to Ohioans. We ensure businesses follow the laws that help them create jobs and keep Ohioans safe. To learn more about what we do, visit our website at com.ohio.gov.