Dear friends and colleagues,

It has recently come to our attention that our RMA office phone caller ID has been spoofed by scammers. That means that you might get a call that looks as if it is coming from our office, when in fact it is from a different phone number altogether.

The Officers of the Recording Musicians Association volunteer their time day after day, week after week to further the interests of AFM musicians. We are distressed that anyone would engage in such deceptive practices. Please know that RMA will never call and ask you for money or personal information.

The following information is from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s webpage about caller ID spoofing, and you might find it useful.

• If you answer the phone and the caller – or a recording – asks you to hit a button to stop getting the calls, you should just hang up. Scammers often use this trick to identify potential targets.
• Do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered with “Yes” or “No.”
• Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother’s maiden names, passwords or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls or if you are at all suspicious.
• If you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company or a government agency, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement, in the phone book, or on the company’s or government agency’s website to verify the authenticity of the request. You will usually get a written statement in the mail before you get a phone call from a legitimate source, particularly if the caller is asking for a payment.
• Use caution if you are being pressured for information immediately.
• If you have a voice mail account with your phone service, be sure to set a password for it. Some voicemail services are preset to allow access if you call in from your own phone number. A hacker could spoof your home phone number and gain access to your voice mail if you do not set a password.