Below is a message from OSD Technology, which was emailed to all employees today:

Good morning OSD employees,

We have received several reports of employees receiving phishing emails this week, posing as messages from principals. Phishing is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, credit card details and money, often for malicious reasons, by someone disguising as a trustworthy entity. This most recent phishing attack has scammers impersonating administrators and principals in our district in an attempt to give you a sense of urgency to buy gift cards. Unfortunately these scammers are trying to take advantage of our closure and pandemic situation, in an attempt to get you to bypass normal scrutiny of these types of email.

As talked about in past phishing awareness messages, if any email looks or feels suspicious, check that the sender’s email address matches their name and expected email address (@osd.wednet.edu). Also, if any email is asking you to make purchases, transfer money or reveal personal information, immediately be wary.

Remember, phishing scams can come in all forms, including phone calls, emails, letters and more. Continue to report phishing attempts to your supervisor and/or the Technology Helpdesk (helpdesk@osd.wednet.edu).