The internet. It is the tool we use to look up just about everything. It is accessible at our fingertips and allows us to research, post, request, bank, purchase, and play. While this is all wonderful and convenient, it is also scary when you think of such a tool with so many capabilities being in the hands of someone with the wrong intentions. It is very important to be aware of the possibility of scams on the internet and know how to recognize and report them. This is happening in our community of event planning as well.

Although some emails may be difficult to decode as a scam, others may be easy. A few red flags to look for if an email seems suspicious from a potential client or vendor are:

• promises of money and payment for little or no effort
• deals that sound too good to be true (they probably are!)
• inquiries from foreign countries that sound suspicious
• bad grammar and misspellings

In this example of one scam artist, he promises to send a large sum of money without even meeting or speaking with the wedding planner. You should assume that if someone is going to provide you any kind of payment, there are going to want to have at least spoken with you first.

Most recently, wedding and event planners are receiving text message inquiries that ask your availability and if you accept credit cards. These are scam inquiries.

Also, remember to never provide any kind of bank account or personal contact information to someone you do not know or trust. Just a few numbers can unlock a world of problems for you if given to the wrong person. For more information on how to recognize phishing scam read this website.