29 July 2021
Always Be on Alert for Phishing Attacks
Some AAS members are receiving phishing emails spoofing messages from Society leaders or other members but actually coming from scammers. If you receive a phishing email, it doesn’t mean your account was hacked or the AAS system was compromised. Our information technology (IT) consultants are investigating what, if anything, can be done to thwart the scammers.
How can you identify a phishing email? Some red flags:
- Urgent requests. For example, asking for your assistance because they are not currently in the United States.
- Bad spelling or grammar. Phishing messages are notorious for containing misspelled words or poor grammar.
- Mismatched email address information. Make sure the email address displayed in the “From” field matches the aas.org domain; if it doesn’t end in “@aas.org” it doesn’t come from the AAS.
- Unexpected requests regarding personal information. If you are asked to update or verify your personal information by replying to the email or visiting a website, stay on alert. Hover over links in the message; if the URLs don’t end in “aas.org” they don’t point to the AAS.
Report and delete
If you receive a suspicious email, do not reply, click on any links, nor open any attachments. Forward it to [email protected], then delete it.