Beware of Scam Emails Falsely Claiming to be from the USDA

Please be aware that several certified organic operations have received email falsely claiming to be from the USDA. An example of one such email is posted here:

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The USDA National Organic Program will never email you about your annual renewal, fees, or otherwise ask you to log into any system or provide information. Instead, the NOP, when they request information or action, goes through the certifying agent for the operation and asks us to provide information or to reach out to certified operations to obtain information. Please never respond to an email claiming to be from the USDA, especially if it asks you to provide sensitive information or to log into any system. These are phishing scams conducted by organizations who do not have your best interest at heart and are likely trying to defraud you or commit identity theft.

If you ever receive an email that claims to be from the USDA requesting you take any action or provide any information, please forward the email to Americert so we can advise you on the authenticity of such emails, but also so we an alert the USDA about these emerging threats.