On-line Scams are at an all time high- please be careful
There are MANY types of scams out there and we want to remind you to be careful.
Never give out information about your accounts to someone who contacts you. If you receive an email, text or phone call concerning a ‘favor’ or an issue with one of your accounts, then please, please contact the institution by calling the number on the back of your credit card, emailing the person with a new email thread (do not reply to the one you received as it is likely a ‘spoof’ email that was designed to look correct, but is not. An example of this is the recent one that came from “
rabbimitchlevine@gmail.com” This is NOT his email address, but it sure does look like it is.) Anyone asking you to go to the store and buy gift cards and then send them the numbers is a scammer. Anyone asking you to Venmo money ‘to upgrade your account’ is a scammer. Anyone asking you to verify a potential fraudulent charge MIGHT be a scammer- call your bank; do not click on the text. Anyone that calls you and asks for any banking information is a scammer. Anyone calling to tell you that you won Publisher’s Clearing House is a scammer…. the list goes on. Be careful.
If you are getting an email ‘from the Rabbi’ we haven’t been hacked. The scammers have stolen email addresses from cyberspace and then are using that information to attempt to scam you. There is no need to contact us as there isn’t anything that we can do about it- don’t buy the gift cards. We will never ask you to purchase gift cards through an email (other than Ingles cards, which we will happily sell you anytime!). Stay alert everyone.
Rochelle Reich
Executive Director, Congregation Beth Israel
she/her/hers
Why pronouns?
828 252 8660
