No problem,
@Martha McRoy! These scams are more likely to be common around a big conference, but they do pop up at other times.
For folks reading along, here are other scams that we like to make members aware of and have reached out to chapter officers and event attendees in the past about:
- If you're a treasurer for a chapter/section/etc., if someone reaches out to you via email (or even phone!), represents themselves as an chapter/section/etc. officer or other authority, and asks you to wire them money asap, double-check the request thoroughly before responding. (I would suggest independently verifying the officer/authority in question's contact information and reaching out to them independently to see if they actually made the request. You might also want to reach out to others who might have been involved in the initiative the individual is requesting money for to verify it.)
- If you're registered for a conference and someone reaches out to you via phone or email claiming to be the "official" hotel vendor for the event, they're attempting to scam you. The ASA always has an official pathway on our conference websites for booking rooms from our official event hotels. Phone scammers will attempt to sell you reservations for rooms that may not exist, may not be available at the time of the event, and/or may involve a host of tacked-on charges. (Here's a nice description of hotel scams:
https://crefmeeting.com/hotel-scams/)
If you get an email you suspect is a scam, just send email it along to use at the ASA.
- Lara
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Lara Harmon
Marketing and Online Community Coordinator
American Statistical Association
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-16-2017 10:09
From: Martha Rozsi
Subject: "ASA - Prospective Contacts List" Marketing List?!
Thanks for the quick response @Lara Harmon. I figured it was some sort of scam, but it was the first time I had received it and wasn't sure how to report it and if others had also received this email. I will forward the email along.
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Martha Rozsi
Original Message:
Sent: 08-16-2017 10:06
From: Lara Harmon
Subject: "ASA - Prospective Contacts List" Marketing List?!
Hello, @Martha J. Rozsi!
This is a common scam, though the scheme usually involves pretending to have a list of conference attendees or conference exhibitors instead. Don't worry, they don't actually have your information! Here's how this scam works:
The scammer uses a fake email address and company name. They pretend to have some kind of list of potential industry contacts (conference attendees, conference exhibitors, association member information) for sale. When individuals respond to the email, the scammer takes their money but, of course, doesn't provide them with the list-because they never had it in the first place!
You can forward the scam email to steve@amstat.org. It's difficult to make scammers like this cease and desist, since they change and obscure their identities, but we do report them!
- Lara
------------------------------
Lara Harmon
Marketing and Online Community Coordinator
American Statistical Association
Original Message:
Sent: 08-16-2017 09:47
From: Martha Rozsi
Subject: "ASA - Prospective Contacts List" Marketing List?!
Hello,
Today I received an email stating my information was taken from my "company profile in "American Statistical Association Members Directory (ASA)"". This email asked if I would like to "acquire the professionals list" and if so, from which industries, geographical areas, and job titles. Has anyone else received these emails? How can I make sure my information is removed from these lists and is protected?
Below you will find the entire email received (excluding the sender's name).
Martha Rozsi McRoy
Hi,
I found your company profile in "American Statistical Association Members Directory (ASA)". We are dealing with database of potential clients/customers related to your industry. Would you be interested to acquire the professionals list like "CEO, CFO, Managers, Directors, Distributors, Suppliers, Resellers, Purchasers, and Other professionals" as per your requirement. Our list will help you to enlarge your marketing supply across the globe.
Our list includes: - Company Name, Contact Name, Phone Number, Designation, Email id, Title, Company address, SIC Code and many more information's as per your requirements from your industry.
If it sounds value, Please provide your targets as shown below so I can get back to you with more relevant information on those particular lists.
Target Industry : ________________________________ (Any Industry)
Target Geography: ________________________________ (Worldwide)
Target Job Title : ________________________________ (Any Title)
Looking forward to continued success with you,