Rotary International warns Kenyans about online con scheme

We have recently become aware that multiple accounts impersonating Rotary International President Barry Rassin and General Secretary John Hewko have been created on such channels as email, social media (Twitter and LinkedIn), and WhatsApp.

Please note that these are not authentic Rotary communications; they are phishing and spoofing attempts to obtain money and other personal information.

Phishing is an attempt to spoof or mimic an email or social media account of a trusted person or organization to steal information or achieve a malicious goal.

I want to reassure you that neither President Rassin’s nor General Secretary Hewko’s authentic accounts have been compromised.

We continue to monitor for and respond to these types of fraudulent attempts as part of Rotary’s ongoing effort to keep volunteer and staff data safe.

We appreciate those of you who helped us identify and react to this latest incident. We encourage you to continue to exercise caution and disregard any content that offers money, requests money, or asks for your personal information.

Avoid opening attachments or clicking on links from suspicious messages.

When confirming the authenticity of an email, pay close attention to the details of the email address and signature blocks.

If you receive what you believe to be a suspicious message or email from the president or general secretary, please forward it to [email protected] and then delete it immediately.