Chapter Leaders, Beware of Scams

December 2022 – Spammers have gotten much more sophisticated in recent years and their grammar and punctuation have improved! Don’t let a carefully crafted scam separate your chapter from its hard-earned money.

Here at EAA, our chapters share examples of scams with us — including scams where actual chapter officer names are inserted into phony email invoices addressed to the chapter treasurers or other officers. The goal of the scam is to trick the chapter into paying fake invoices.

Keep in mind that scammers only have to be successful once in a while to make sending those emails worth it. Recent scam styles include phony paper applications (forms) mailed to chapters from apparent state-based corporate processing services for chapters to join. The forms look alarmingly like traditional IRS-style forms. There are always new tactics being tested, so don’t be fooled. Never pay an invoice without chapter officer discussion and approval, and keep in mind that “urgent” requests for chapters are exceedingly rare and should always be viewed with skepticism.

Be sure to watch our upcoming webinar titled Become a Better Chapter Leader — Secretary - Treasurer 2023 that addresses these types of scams.