The New York Department of State and the Division of Consumer Protection Thu., Jan. 28, warned state residents of an ongoing email phishing scheme. The subject of the message is "Department of State Important Notice" and ask recipients to verify their profile to avoid delay or future problems when renewing a license or registration. The Department of State issues a variety of professional licenses. The messages link to a non-listed URL. Officials advise anyone receiving such an email to delete it immediately. Phishing emails are messages used by fraudsters to trick people into disclosing data or sensitive personal information, which is then used to commit identity theft or to trick the recipient into installing malicious software onto a computer or mobile device. Information on phishing scams, as well as steps to mitigate a phishing attempt, can be found on the state Office of Information Technology Services Phishing Awareness resources page or the Division of Consumer Protection Phishing Scam Prevention Tips page at www [dot] dos [dot] ny [dot] gov.