The North Carolina Attorney General's Office is helping people spot scams when they get emails from someone claiming to be a federal official.

Officials say a North Carolina woman recently got an email from a person claiming to be FBI Director Robert Mueller. The email threatened that she would be arrested unless she paid $350 to the US Department of Homeland Security to obtain a Clearance Certificate.

Officials say there are several warning signs that this is scam, even though it has an official-looking FBI logo. First, there are several typos. Second, the email came from an AOL email address, rather than a .gov address. It also referenced Nigeria. That country has been a hotbed for scams for many years now.

Also, the real FBI never sends out emails soliciting money or personal information from citizens, and there is no such thing as a Clearance Certificate.

If you spot a scam, report it to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.