Dear members,

We need to make you aware of an active text message and email scam targeting Sigma members in chapter and international leadership positions.

Headquarters was recently informed of a fraudulent text message appearing to be from Sigma President Ken Dion that was sent to several board, organization, and chapter leaders. The scam message asked the recipient to assist Ken by purchasing gift cards from a major department store and provide the card information via text or email. The perpetrators were sophisticated enough to spoof President Dion’s name, but the emails were not Sigma emails. Two Gmail accounts —bixxteen and Teengates9 — were used in the texting scam.

We are troubled by this development and are taking it very seriously. Be aware: This is a fraudulent effort intended to steal your money.

Know this: No Sigma Theta Tau International board or staff member will ever ask you to purchase gift cards or wire funds to a third party for any reason.

Here are a few general tips to help you spot scam messages. Always be suspicious of:

• Any text or email message that asks you to purchase gift cards, send money, or pay invoices to addresses you do not recognize.
• Messages that come from or ask you to reply to a generic email such as outlook.com or gmail.com instead of a verified Sigma email.  
• Messages with many misspellings, strange punctuation, and unprofessional phrases.

Sigma emails are usually carefully prepared and professional. If you receive a message that seems out of character, it’s always best to contact the sender, member, or chapter directly (via a trusted, known phone number or email, and not by replying to the message you received) or call Sigma Member Services to verify that the message is legitimate. Text messages may come from numbers not associated with the person in question. If you receive a suspicious text message, we suggest you call or email the individual before taking any action.

Attached to this message is a helpful “Spot the Scams” resource developed by Sigma. Take a moment to read through this valuable information.

In addition, because the volume and sophistication level of scams seem to be on the increase, please remain vigilant.

Thank you.