BELLEVILLE, Ill. (KMOX) - With school starting up again, your Parent Teacher Association may be reaching out for financial help.
As KMOX News has learned, you need to make sure the request is legitimate.
The Illinois Parent Teacher Association Southern Region Director said local chapters across the country are being warned about an email phishing scam.
Greg Hobbs told KMOX the scammers appear to be using names of new local officers in the targetted communities, sending emails that ask for donations in the form of prepaid gift cards. The victim is asked to take pictures of the front and back of the card, including the scratch-off security code.
Hobbs said if you receive a request to donate to your local PTA, you should double-check the email address. He said if you suspect it is fraudulent, you should report it to your PTA and local law enforcement officials.
Hobbs said he knows of no one in Southern Illinois who has been hit by the scam yet.
He said it doesn't appear PTA databases have been hacked and that scammers are simply getting community email addresses through the internet.