We are aware that suspicious emails are being sent to members of the orienteering community that appear to come from a named individual on the SCOA Committee.  These emails have a title such as "Sorry to bother you" and contain the simple message "<your name>, are you free at the moment?"  The message is signed with a committee member's name.

These are Phishing emails designed to entice you into a conversation that will reveal information about yourself or your club.  The objective is to obtain information about the recipient that can be used later to attempt to steal money from you. Do not answer these emails.  If you have already answered one of these emails, cease any further contact and be wary of any unexpected emails or phone calls that you may receive.  More advice can be obtained from the Action Fraud website (https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/).

We have received reports that these emails are also circulating using club email addresses, so similar emails may appear to come from members of your own club.  Always check the full email address of the sender before replying to an email.  In the above case, the email address contained a spelling mistake and was sent from a free Gmail account.  If in any doubt about the origin of an email, check the sender's email address through another source (your own address book or through a third party) or phone the sender if you can.  Also consider whether the content of the message is expected or appropriate - would the sender really contact you in this way?  Pause and think before deciding to reply.