Officials at the Education Department are denouncing the circulation of a web-based announcement promoting a free online course. In a statement issued Monday, the department says the course was never created by them, never existed and misappropriated the department’s official logo and template.
It also published an unauthorized photo of Education Commissioner Dionne Wells-Hedrington. “We want to make it clear that this announcement was not generated by the Virgin Islands Department of Education,” the statement said.
Those who come across the phony web page published under the banner “Lifestyle Center” are being warned about the chance that it may be used as part of a clickbait scam.
“Once clicked, the reader is taken to a site that may allow cyber criminals to hijack your account or steal personal information,” says a posting on the Better Business Bureau website.
The Monday statement also signaled the start of a probe to find out who originated the web-based announcement. “The misuse of our branding and image has been reported to the appropriate authorities for investigation and action,” the statement said.
