It has been brought to our attention that several people received phishing/scam emails yesterday. The sender claimed they were the Rabbi and were seeking assistance requiring you to purchase gift cards. Unfortunately, this is a typical scam. Here are a few important things to be aware to avoid scams of this nature:
- Congregation Kol Ami nor any of its employees will ever request gift card purchases. If they are mentioned in the email, please delete the email immediately.
- If the email does not come from one of our standard email address (xxxxx@kolami-tx.org) please ignore and delete it. The one additional email that is valid is rabbikolami@gmail.com. We will be retiring the gmail account with Rabbi’s retirement in June as well. After July 1, 2026, only @kolami-tx.org emails addresses should be considered valid for CKA.
- If it sounds strange, it is probably an issue. If it is very poorly written, it is probably a scam. If they ask you to take some action without talking to you in person, it is probably a scam. In all these cases, *always* check with the sender in person or on the phone before taking any action.
- *Do not* ever call the numbers given to you in the email. Look up the number for the contact separately and reach out to them that way.
- Most importantly, if you just aren’t sure about the email, contact the supposed sender first. *Never* take action without being 100% sure the sender is valid.
I’ve included some links below with more detailed information and resources in regard to online scams and phishing emails. They are great places to learn more about them and how to protect yourself.
Federal Trade Commission: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-avoid-phishing-scams
US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency: https://www.cisa.gov/secure-our-world/recognize-and-report-phishing
Cyber Seniors Guidance Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0HeMNM6veI
Please don’t ever hesitate to call with questions or concerns!