Over the past couple of weeks we have become aware of an increase in phishing emails using Prince of Peace staff names.

Here are a few things to look for when receiving an email that looks suspicious.

  1. Check the email address – don’t just look at the name, look at the email address – most phishing email addresses are not @poproseville.org email addresses (though some are).
  2. Unusual typology – Is there a lack of punctuation or spelling errors – this is usually a clear indicator that it is a phishing scam.
  3. Signature – how does the signature compare with other emails? If you need to, compare to other emails you have received from the named sender.
  4. Does the sender ask you to purchase something (often gift cards)? If so, this email is not coming a PoP staff person.
  5. Emails that ask you to handle something discreetly are not from a PoP staff member.
  6. Here is an example of a phishing email received by a PoP member – “Greetings! Do you have a moment. I have a request that I’d like you to handle discreetly. I’m about to attend a meeting, refrain from calls and respond to my email instead.”
    God Bless.
    Steve Sylvester 
    Lead Pastor

What do you do if you think you have received a phishing email?

1. Communicate with the sender another way (text or phone call). If you don’t have another way to communicate with the “sender”, call the church office at 651-484-4144 and ask about the legitimacy of the email.

2.  Report the email address to your email server as a phishing scam.

You can read more about email phishing on the MN Attorney General’s webpage by clicking here