Atlanta

Like to fish? Don’t get hooked by this ‘phishing’ scam, officials warn

Don’t take the bait! Officials are warning of a “phishing” scam -- that actually involves fishing!

Investigators say a website that claims to sell you a Georgia fishing license is stealing personal information from unsuspecting customers.

Channel 2′s Tom Regan was at Lake Lanier, where anglers have been contacting the state Department of Natural Resources for the past few days about the slippery scam.

Hundreds of thousands of people buy a license to fish on Lake Lanier, but recently, some anglers have been hooked by a fake website.

The Department of Natural Resources said 20 victims have fallen hook, line and sinker for the scam so far.

On the surface, the website looks legitimate and appears to be by the DNR. Whoever created the page has pinned it to the top of Google searches so it readily comes up.

"If you Google 'Georgia fishing license,' this is coming up at the top of the Google search. Companies or individuals pay to make their Google search result move to the top," said Lt. Judd Smith, game warden with the DNR. "They have icons that would lead you to believe it's a genuine website."

The site asks for personal information, including email, Social Security numbers, home addresses and more. But the site says a fishing license is $30, double what the state charges.

Some people have been able to print out a fishing license, which of course, is fake.

Thomas discovered something odd about the website: the dollar sign is to the right of the purchase price. There is also no option to go to checkout or pay and there's no address or contact information for the so-called license seller.

The DNR has contacted the GBI cybercrime unit to tackle investigating the website and see what can be done, but say that it's likelybased in a foreign country.

David Monk, who owns Buford Dam Bait and Tackle, is an avid fisherman. He said there's no way he would get reeled in by the website.

“I think it’s sad people reach out that way and try to get personal information from you in this day and age,” Monk said. “You just have to be careful.”