June 13, 2018
Malicious e-mail spoofs being sent to vendors
The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is reporting that a fake solicitation is being sent to vendors in the form of a Request for Quotation (RFQ).
The fake email solicitation, purporting to be from DLA, has been targeting GSA STARS II vendors.
The emails are not from DLA.mil. Instead, they are coming from a “Reply-To” address ending in @dla-mil.us, which is not a government address.
In some cases, “stars2@american consultants.com” has been identified to supposedly send messages on behalf of a DLA Contract Specialist — these are also fake.
Some of the bogus emails suggest that vendors use the “stars2” Google Group at https//groups.google.com/a/americanconsultants.com to obtain more information or to unsubscribe from the email communication. Be advised that “stars2” is not a DLA affiliated group.
Always remain cautious of emails that arrive in your inbox that are not explicitly addressed to you. Sometimes scammers attempt to hide their actions by addressing their targets in the “bcc” line.
Also, please be aware that the phone number in these recent bogus emails is not a DLA phone number. In addition, the RFQ form in the email is not an official government form, nor is the signature block legitimate.
DLA’s notice about this matter can be seen here: Vendor Phishing Notice -DLA – 8 June 2018. The notice shows copies of the bogus emails.
Bottom line: Vendors should always remain vigilant about suspicious emails, and be cautious about opening email attachments. Questions or comments can be directed to DLA at CERTFusionCell@dla.mil.
In addition, if you ever have a question about the legitimacy of any emails having to do government contracting opportunities, especially those which solicit a fee, please feel free to contact your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) counselor. For more information about other questionable marketing schemes, see our blog post: Be Skeptical: Ask a PTAC.
For help with any government contracting issue – contact your nearest PTAC.
For help with Government Contracting: contact your nearest Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). Funded through Cooperative Agreements between the U.S. Department of Defense and state and local governments/institutions, PTACs provide free and low-cost assistance in virtually all areas of government contracting.