December 9, 2019
There are reports from several members of the diocese who have received emails purporting to be from Bishop McConnell. The first is a general greeting, and then once the individual responds, the second asks recipients to purchase gift cards for a friend of Bishop McConnell’s.
This is a phishing or spoofing scheme. These are NOT from Bishop McConnell and are not originating from his email account, so rest assured that his account has not been hacked. Someone IS using his name, after creating an email address that looks close enough to one that MIGHT be his that some may be fooled.
Delete any such emails, and then delete them from your deleted folder. Some email services, like Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo, allow you to report a suspected phishing scheme. Check the help section of your email service.
If you want to see the address from which an email originates, always check the address in the “From” area of your email. If it doesn’t automatically show up, you can hover your cursor over the name, and the email address will appear.
This type of deception is called “phishing” because the sender is casting out a wide net to see if someone will bite on their request. When it involves the executive of an organization, it’s known as “whaling” – using the biggest “phish” the sender can find.
If you want to learn more about this kind of nefarious activity, information provided on the Episcopal Diocese of Newark website may be helpful: https://dioceseofnewark.org/geeks/whaling-email-attacks-how-foil-them
And as always, if you receive a suspicious email from anyone on the diocesan staff, please check with the office, 412-721-0853.