Dear AESA Members,
Recently, an AESA member was part of a phishing email scam. This attempted scam is very concerning to us, and we want to warn you about it.
The email impersonated AESA Chief Operating Officer, John Bass. The email states we do not accept checks. Through a series of emails, the scammer indicated that “we” - AESA- would destroy the check if already mailed, and then requested this ESA to wire transfer its payment for a recent invoice to a Wells Fargo account.
None of the emails were from John Bass or AESA staff. It was initially plausible to the ESA because AESA recently emailed this member an invoice for the 2019-2020 school year. Thankfully, the ESA superintendent got suspicious. The superintendent spoke with John Bass on the phone and was able to determine that the email thread was not from our agency. The ESA promptly involved their police department and reported this as fraud to Wells Fargo.
Member invoices will be electronically sent at the end of June with a hard copy to follow in the mail. Here are some things to know:
- We DO accept checks. PLEASE do not direct deposit or wire transfer us any payments without talking to us first.
- The email contained some poor syntax but was relatively convincing. The insistence of the scammer about the issue was a trigger to the ESA to stop and investigate further, and we are grateful!
- If you have any doubts or question about an email from me, John Bass, Ann Fiene or any member of our staff, please check with us, especially involving money, sensitive issues, or paperwork.
- Thankfully, no money was transferred, and hopefully, we have foiled this scam.
However, it is important to be diligent. We don’t know if any other ESA was affected. Please call me or John if you have any questions about sending a payment to AESA.
Thank you,
