How to Know It's an Email Scam

The most recent email going around is a fake email to board members asking for gift cards falsely signed from the guild's president. However, nearly everything about the email is a clue something isn't right, starting with a bogus email address.

Scammers occasionally send out emails to soliciting money or gift cards under the guise of some emergency or help. You should ignore them.

Rules

NEVER provide personal or financial information to anyone who emails or calls you unsolicited.
NEVER provide any debit/credit card numbers or any gift card information to someone you don’t know.
NEVER wire money to someone you don’t know.
NEVER provide payment by money card / gift cards or wire money to any government agency or utility company.
NEVER click on a link in an email, even from someone you trust, unless you requested it — links shown can be different than where they go.
NEVER reply to a spam, scam, or suspicious email — doing so validates the email actually reached you.
NEVER call a phone number provided in a spam, scam, or suspicious email — these numbers often have expensive hidden toll charges and the people at the other end will try to keep you on for as long as possible.

WCG Behaviors

The WCG will never ask you to obtain or provide payment by money cards or gift cards, nor will it ask you to wire money.
Any legitimate news will appear on the website, appear in global communications, and be validated by multiple board members. Information is always provided in detail.

Spotting Scams

Don't just read the "from" name — these can be faked.
Examine the from email address, while these can be faked too, scammers often use very strange looking email addresses.
Be cautious of emails that have a reply-to to another account than the sender.
Use common sense — ask yourself if the email seems out of the ordinary or suspicious.
Check that the body of the email representative in terms of content, length, tone, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, expression, and sentence structure as prior examples of the person it claims to be from.
If the email demanding payment from a service, likely we don't use it.

Questions and Answers

Is the supposed sender's account compromised?

No. It's possible to prove that such letters did not originate from the supposed sender's computer.

How is this happening?

Likely it's is that one of the recipient's computers is compromised; malware is harvesting content such as the other recipient's email addresses or contact list and sending a form letter masquerading as a familiar face.

If You Fell Victim to a Scam

If you fell victim to a scam and lost money due to an IRS-related incident, you are asked to report the case to the Treasury Inspector General Administration (TIGTA) at https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml.

You may also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) through their Complaint Assistant at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/.

If a case number is required from your local police agency, contract your local police at a non-emergency number and request to file a report.