As the new term begins, we would like to remind all of our leaders about the dangers of email phishing. A phishing scam may ask you to send money, gift cards or personal information to someone you trust from within your organization. A phishing email might appear to come from a district president, the IRS or other officer in your unit.
Here are some best practices to keep in mind if you get an email that doesn’t feel right:
- Contact the person directly. Call them or text them to check and see if they actually sent you the email in question. Having what experts call “back channels” can prevent you from divulging important information or losing money
- PTA always requires a paper trail for financial dealings, and we never wire money or pay for things using gift cards. If you are in doubt, contact your president and treasurer to ask about the validity of the request
- Never click on links in emails that you suspect are phishing. If you would like to look more closely at it you can copy it and paste it into its own browser page. Often times you will notice that it mimics the emails that your unit uses, but that it isn’t quite the same
- Trust your gut. If you think it doesn’t sound right (for example, why would my unit president need me to send her $500 right away?) then it probably is phishing.