UU congregations throughout New England have been reporting an increase in phishing emails sent to their congregants, trying to obtain personal information or payments. Here’s how to tell if an email you received is a phishing scam:
- Check the sender’s email address. If an email signed “Parisa” did not come from a fusn.org address, it’s fake.
- No one from FUUSN will ask you for “help” or money, unless it is for a specific reason such as paying for something you won at the Silent Auction. We will never ask you to buy or provide gift cards.
- We will never ask you for financial information such as your bank account number or credit card number.
- We will never threaten you if you do not respond.
- Watch for poor spelling or bad grammar.
- Generic greetings such as “Dear sir or madam” are really not our style.
- Never click on suspicious links or attachments. If the link in the email isn’t to fusn.org or a well-known service such as Signup Genius, ask before you click!
- Beware hidden links. The text of the link may look legitimate, but hover your mouse over that link to see where it’s actually going before you click.
- Inconsistent content that seems out of character. For example, Rev. Parisa is HIGHLY unlikely to sign her emails, “Yours in Christ.”