The Department President IS NOT in jail, desperate for gift cards, or asking for anything else!
By: Shannon Werner, Executive Director
January 31, 2025
The department is aware that someone or a group of people are sending emails to members impersonating Department President Julie Becker. These emails are sophisticated since they contain her name and words from the website, trying to convince you that the email is authentic.
It is not. If you receive one of these emails, please delete it. The department does not ask individual members for gift cards or make requests that seem time-sensitive or desperate.
We have reached out to Mark Sutton, the former Communications Director for the American Legion Department of Michigan. He also has 25 years of experience in the information technology field. He told us we could do nothing at the department level to stop these. They are not coming from our systems; they come mostly from GMAIL accounts.
However, he suggested that the first thing a person should do is look at the email address from which the email was sent. He stressed the email address, not the person’s name. If you don’t recognize the email address, delete it.
Second, the purpose of a phishing email is to convince the recipient to click a link or send something to them. That could be personal information or a gift card code they have asked you to purchase. The department WILL NOT ask for that information.
Third point: the emails tell the recipient they are unavailable by phone. This is a giveaway that it is spam. If they are in trouble, why are they reaching out to you but don’t want to talk to you?
This is a significant issue in this day and age. So much so that the Federal Trade Commission has information for people to read. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-scam
They also have a playlist of videos about identity theft to help: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7C978CB1DE5CD4B0&si=7OUmbceAaqybRlML
If you are in doubt, please delete the email. Don’t click the link in the email, and don’t respond to the email. It lets the predator know that the email is active.
Stay vigilant and stay safe in this digital world.