Originally sent out by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs on October 9th:

Dear Licensees of the Architect Profession:

The Bureau of Professional Licensing (BPL) within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) would like to share the below message for informational purposes only.

We are aware of a scam targeting architect licensees. Therefore, our office would like to provide the following tips to avoid falling for one of these scams

1. Be cautious of unsolicited requests for any personal information. LARA will not contact you directly asking for personal information.
2. Be suspicious of any unexpected emails or links to websites. If your personal information is compromised, it may be used in other fraud schemes.
3. Do not respond to or open hyperlinks in emails or text messages requesting to validate your personal data.
4. Do not share your licensing, personal, or financial information over the telephone or via text message with a purported representative of the Department. If asked for sensitive information, please request the representative to contact you from a michigan.gov email account or provide you with an official request by mail. You may also contact us at the email address or phone number below to verify if the Department is requesting any information from you.
5. If there are any hyperlinks, check the link or URL before clicking. LARA websites will have the “Michigan.gov” domain name.
6. Correspondence from LARA will always include a contact number or email address.
7. If you suspect fraud, report it immediately online to BPLHelp@michigan.gov.

Should you have specific questions regarding this email communication or would like to report a possible scam regarding licensees, please contact our office at BPLHelp@michigan.gov or 517-241-0199.

Sincerely,
Licensing Division
Bureau of Professional Licensing (BPL)