Invitation to Trouble

 

If you get an email with an "invitation" that is supposedly from someone you know and might really be sending you an invitation, do not click on it or any link provided. Instead, directly get in touch with the purported sender by phone or email (NOT a direct reply to the "invitation"). If the purported sender knows nothing about it, tell him/her that a hacking has occurred and all contacts should be notified and warned. Then delete the invitation.

Some hints that the invitation is phony: 1) It comes from a weird email address. The one above came from a .vu address. .vu = Vanuatu. (It may show the purported sender's legitimate address as the inviter. But where did the invitation come from?) 2) The email is also addressed to a large number of people. Even if neither #1 nor #2 is involved, you should still assume the worst and get directly in touch with the purported sender.

Finally, given the large number of these scams going around, you might think twice about sending out invitations, greeting cards, etc., through commercial services. Recipients may be suspicious and just delete them. Younger folks may want to ask their grandparents about envelopes, letters, and postage stamps. They'll tell you now it is done!