Be Scam Aware

We will update members on the website and via email as quickly as possible when we are alerted to a scam affecting our membership.

Whilst we take precautions to protect the information you share with us, any publicly available information can be gathered and misused by others, and could for example, be used by criminals to make phishing emails appear more convincing. For this reason, please carefully consider the information you publish on the Member Directory. We strongly advise that you avoid sharing personal email addresses and/or personal contact numbers.  We advise you to keep to your professional contact details.

We take our data protection obligations seriously.  Please be assured that Ciarb will not sell your data. For more information about how we handle your data, please read our Privacy Policy. 

If you are being asked to pay an amount of money, take your time and ensure the request is genuine. Ciarb may inform you of upcoming deadlines but we will not pressure you to make a payment. If you feel the person who is emailing or calling you is aggressive and/or applying pressure, be very cautious.

It’s easy for an email to look like it is from a certain individual or organisation. Check the ‘from’ email address carefully before opening an email, and do not click on any links or email attachments unless you are sure of the identity.

Ciarb staff email addresses end with ‘@ciarb.org’ and you will start to receive our renewal emails shortly which will be sent from our Dotdigital email account. If in doubt, you are welcome to forward the email to us at memberservices@ciarb.org and we will confirm if we have indeed sent the email to you.

Also, check the branding and how it is applied. Does the branding look copied and pasted in? Is the logo and/or imagery low resolution? If so, be cautious.

If you are called by someone, ask them for their name, telephone number and email address. You are welcome to check their identity with us by emailing memberservices@ciarb.org. If the person invites you to call them back on a telephone number they have given to you, it is best not to do that. Instead, call Ciarb’s Member Services team at + 44 (0)20 7421 744 and we will be happy to confirm if the person who called you was genuinely from Ciarb.

Never give your payment details over the phone if you are unsure of who you are speaking with.

We will never ask to remotely access your device and we do not ask members to download apps.

Never share your PIN number or passwords. We will never ask you for such information.

Often scam emails link to fraudulent websites or platforms. If you are asked to pay through an unusual or unfamiliar platform, do not make the payment.

You are welcome to contact us at memberservices@ciarb.org and we will verify if a request for payment has been made and is genuine.

If you think you have received and/or responded to a scam email or call that you thought was from Ciarb, please:

• Contact your bank if you have made a payment.
• Report the incident to us at memberservices@ciarb.org. We will alert other members if appropriate.
• Report the incident to the relevant local authorities. For example, in the UK that would include Action Fraud.