A few of our members have reported receiving a message from a newly created AOL address posing to belong to ISIE President Stefanie Hellweg, referring to "some problem in the Philippine airport". This is clearly part of a scam, and does not originate from the ISIE. If you receive this mail, please ignore it and delete the message. As a reminder, here are some ways to spot e-mail scams:
- Suddenly someone you know is asking for money or support - which is not a typical request.
- The situation is often urgent and requires overseas payments, credit card payment, gift card payments, etc.
- The e-mail address is often different from the regular e-mail address used.
- Use of language, grammar or punctuation that is unexpected from this person.
Any e-mail somehow associated with the ISIE showing even ONE of these characteristics is highly suspect and should not be followed up on. When it doubt, please contact us.
Furthermore, here are some suggestions on e-mail scams from FEMA:
- Resist the pressure to act immediately. Scammers pressure you to provide information immediately, they want you to act before you have time to think.
- Know how scammers will ask you to pay. They often insist that you pay by sending money through a money transfer company or by putting money on a gift card and then giving them the number on the back.
- Stop and talk to someone you trust. Before you do anything else, tell someone - a friend, a family member, a neighbor - what happened. Talking about it could help you realize it’s a scam.
Lastly, the US Federal Trade Commission has a useful website on avoiding and reporting scams.
