Watch Out for Spam Email!
Several folks have recently alerted Fr. Peter to what appear to be legitimate emails from him but are SPAM EMAILS!
WIth Fr. Peter out on vacation until next Tuesday, you can most likely be sure that any even somewhat ‘off” emails that look like they might be from him are in fact not. If you are unsure, please contact Carolyn Burgess at the office at 205-251-7898 or by email at parish.admin@standrewsbham.org and ask before responding. You can also email Carolyn a copy of the suspicious email for her to review and confirm whether it’s valid or not. This stuff is rampant and increasing in frequency, so we need to be on guard and watch out for ourselves and for each other!
Red Flags in Emails
Poor Grammar and Spelling Errors: Legitimate companies proofread their communications. If an email has glaring typos or odd phrasing, it could be a phishing attempt.
Generic or Strange Greetings: Emails that start with “Dear Customer” instead of your name can be a red flag.
Urgency or Threats: Scammers create panic, warning that your account will be locked or hacked unless you act fast.
Suspicious Attachments: Never open unexpected attachments—they may contain malware designed to steal your data.
Mismatched or Fake Email Addresses: Hover over the sender’s email to check if it’s from the company it claims to be. Be wary of small changes, like “support@paypa1.com” instead of “support@paypal.com.”
Odd wording: The email text might say “please kindly …”
Odd requests: The email might ask that you respond to a particular email address rather than the one you’d normally respond to.
Costly requests: If the email asks you to purchase gift cards, that’s an automatic “it’s spam!” clue! Don’t do it! Don’t respond at all!
Many other tricks may be used!
Be careful, and let the church know if something seems even slightly suspicious before you respond or take any action at all!