Be Scam Aware
You may have gotten emails recently claiming to be from one of the priests here at St. Mary's or other priests in the Diocese of Alaska. Email and texting scams are common, and we seem to be in the middle of another wave of them.
Here are some steps you can take to avoid being misled by scams like these:
- Check the email address: Emails from St. Mary’s Clergy and staff will only come from godsview.org email addresses. If you are not familiar with the email address of the person reaching out to you, or if you are not sure that it is correct, don’t respond.
- Never buy or share gift cards for someone over email: We will never ask you to buy gift cards and send the codes to us. No reputable company or organization will ever request payment in this way.
- If a message says they can only communicate over email or text, they are likely not the person they claim to be. Emails and text messages can be hacked or spoofed.
- Never click on a link from an unfamiliar source, or even an unexpected link sent from a familiar source. Emails sent from phishing scams (a kind of scam intended to obtain information) will often contain links with malicious code that can access your address book or contact list, or other important data!
Want to learn more? Click the link below for more information on types of scams, how to recognize them, and what to do if you get fraudulent messages.
Tips for catching "phishy" messages
For more training on how to recognize and avoid scams, and how to recognize and intervene if someone you know is being scammed, you can visit Friends Against Scams. This is a website from the United Kingdom that discusses common scams, how to recognize them, and how to avoid them. Scroll to the bottom of the page for an interactive version of the training.
