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We have been made aware that someone has been emailing members of our congregation under the guise of "Pastor Rob Olsen." These emails ask for a response via email only, and are NOT from Pastor Rob's official e-mail address. 

This is a very common scam. To our knowledge, no one at VAC has been hacked and no information has been leaked or stolen from our services. These scams are often put together by intelligent hackers who are able to put two and two together with information from multiple sources. 

These emails are nothing to worry about as long as you follow the following precautions: 

Recognize It!
Reject It!
Report It!
Secure It!

1. Recognize it! Know how to identify a phishing email - double check the email address, always be suspicious if the email sounds urgent or unlike the person it's coming from, always be suspicious of links in these emails.

2. Reject it! Do not respond to the suspicious email. Please call or email our office directly to let us know that this has happened so we can keep a record of these events. Click "Mark as Spam" in your email provider so that future emails similar to this go straight to your spam folder. 

3. Report it! If you have responded to an email like this and have purchased or sent any gift cards or money before realizing it was a scam, report the incident to your local police. We have already reported these phishing attempts to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Hotline, but you're welcome to make your own report online by clicking here.

4. Secure it! Make sure your passwords are strong, and update them regularly. A good password is at least 12 characters and includes capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Only give your email address to companies you trust. 

 

We are doing what we can to keep our community safe during a time when fraud and phishing emails are on the rise. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call the church office or send us an email.