Scams are everywhere around us. With the advent of email and social media, scammers have become better and better at deceiving people. How can you avoid being a victim of email scams?

1. Don’t open emails from a person or company you don’t recognize. If you do open these emails, avoid clicking any links.

2. If you recognize the name of the sender and you open the email, check the following 

• • Are you addressed personally? If so, is your name correct? If not, ignore the message.
  • Is the message content vague? If the message asks you something like “ I need a favour. Contact me. “ or “ Are you busy? I need help with something.” or “ Do you recognize these people?” (with a link to click) just delete and ignore.
  • Are there lots of spelling and grammar mistakes? If so, ignore the message. A company or organization will make sure their emails look professional.
  • If the email looks professional but you still have doubts about the legitimacy, look at the email address the message was sent from. If you don’t recognize it, delete the message.

3. If you do reply to a message from someone that you know (that is not actually them) and get a request to send money, buy gift cards or donate prizes for a raffle, delete the request. Please know that District 42 Leaders, Toastmasters International, and Club Officers will never ask you to donate gift cards or prizes or to send them e-transfers.

4. Even the best of us can fall victim to scams or get our emails hacked. Be sure to change your passwords regularly and check your privacy and security settings on all your social media accounts.

Being aware of scams and what to look for can go a long way in preventing yourself from being a victim. If something doesn’t look right, sound right or seem right, it probably isn’t.

Let’s all do our part in keeping our Toastmasters Community safe from fraud and scams in the digital world. #themoreyouknow

Twila Tayfel,
District 42 Dispatch Editor