ISM NEWS: EMAIL SCAM ALERT!
21 April 2005

We have recently been contacted by members who have nearly fallen victim to a variety of ‘scams’. These include emails purporting to be from overseas businessmen wanting to find instrumental tuition for UK-based relatives; faxes offering inclusion in European directories of services; and emails informing the recipient that they have won millions of dollars in a US lottery.

What all these approaches have in common is an intention to defraud the recipient.  This may be by asking for bank details; by including in the (very) small print an indication that the document amounts to a contract requiring payment of money; or by asking for an apparently small sum of money in return for the millions promised.

Members should be aware that requests for lessons which involve the deposit and withdrawal of sums of money from their accounts will be bogus. Invitations to take what appear to be free directory listing are likely to have punitive charges hidden in the small print. Apparently huge sums of money which can be claimed on payment of a relatively small sum will be non-existent.

Always bear the following points in mind:

>          if something appears too good to be true, it is;
>          always read the small print;
>          never part with your bank details to anyone not personally known to you;
>          if in doubt, contact the ISM for advice.

(The last point, of course, refers to every aspect of your professional life. That is what we are here for.)

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