We are receiving reports that someone is calling current and former members of PHG. The reports have varied, and there doesn’t seem to be much consistent in them other than the reports are all coming from PHG Members, and the caller mentions the guild, often including the name of someone in the guild. Here’s a sampling of the reports so far:
- “I just received a phone call from 503 388-0657 and a male asked for “dirty Debby” and said he was Dan from the Weavers’ Guild. He wanted to know if I was interested in chairing a group on knitting lingerie…..”
- “I got a call from the same # with obscene overtones. Btw, he’s pretending to be you. Caller ID is your name.”
- “I also received a call from what I thought was Cookie – rambled on about the email wanting a copy of it, no doubt to get my email address, I said I had deleted it and she went off on a tangent and I hung up. I will block that number – if it was a real # — it was 971-227-8490 She said she got my number from Dan Steves.”
- “Unfortunately I received a call yesterday evening regarding these calls. A guy name Chris was calling on behalf of his wife Snookie ( a member of the guild,he said). A woman was giggling in the background at the beginning of the call. He was told to call me to get a copy of the email regarding the crank calls from “Dan” as his wife had locked herself out of her email (or some such nonsense). I asked him how he got my number and who told him to call me, he said Sharon and then Kathleen. (??) I told him there wasn’t an email to forward, it was a google group conversation. I tried to get some more info out of him, but he asked me why I was being difficult – so I hung up on him 😉 and blocked his number. Not sure what the end game is, but thought I’d let ya’ll know there could still be calls.”
- “Hi, Dan. I just got a weird phone call from 971-227-8490 about refunding my PHG membership. Now, we get a lot of scam calls on a daily basis which we mostly ignore. This one was different because they mentioned your name (Dan). I asked why I couldn’t just roll over my membership. They said, because of accounting reasons, they couldn’t. They then proceeded to direct me to the website. I said I wasn’t near the computer. My cat meowed. The caller insisted I pet the kitty and then hung up.”
- “I just got another weird phone call…. This time it was a woman, very cheerful, calling herself Suki or Snooky, phone # 971 227-8490. I don’t know a lot of people in the guild but that name doesn’t ring a bell and she sounded like I should know just who she is. I hung up before hearing what she wanted to say so I don’t know what her topic was (I didn’t want to hear any more lewd talk, but in retrospect maybe I should have drawn her out). She called back and I didn’t answer; she didn’t leave a message.”
- “I just got a weird phone call from someone in the guild. They mentioned your name. A muted voice came into the call. Do you know anything about this. She was also talking about a bonus when you join the guild??”
- “I had a call from “Shooki” late yesterday afternoon. She asked a lot of probing questions about the issue. I told her I thought it had been addressed and to check the email thread. She made some excuse about not having access to her email. I cut her off as quickly as I could.”
As we noted in the newsletter, we believe the person behind these calls may have gotten member information from the forum section of the website. The forums weren’t used much, and the navigation to them was removed from the site earlier this year. In light of these recent events we’ve completely removed the forums and the related software from the site. We have also removed any logins created by non-members who wanted access to the forums, and have blocked any further non-member login creations. We have also updated the page on Privacy, including new instructions on how to update your directory information.
Going forward, all members past and present should know the following:
- We believe we know how the person behind the calls got member names and phone numbers.
- Though we have secured the site from future access to member details, it’s likely that this person has saved some information, so some additional calls are possible.
- The list of board members and various committee chairs is available publicly on our site as well as others not controlled by PHG, including the Oregon Secretary of State’s office and website. This is important to note as they seem to be changing names and referencing different people in the guild.
- They also seem to be able to spoof someone else’s name and/or phone number when calling members.
In addition, we want to share that:
- There is no refund or bonus program for new or renewed memberships.
- The guild will never call you about your membership. All communication is either via email, or in some very limited situations by USPS.
- It should go without saying, but we would never ask you for your credit card, social security, or bank account numbers, either over the phone or in email.
- All payments for dues, workshops and equipment rentals are collected via payment options on the website, or via check from the member.
- Checks for the guild should always be handed off in-person to a board member, or mailed to the guild mailing address (P.O. Box 6676, Portland 97228).
Sadly, scams are a fact of life these days. Always be careful sharing bank or credit card information, and be leery of calls urging quick action promising money in return. Here’s 2 good places for information on scams and how to avoid them:
- Federal Trade Commission: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-scam
- Better Business Bureau: https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/8767-bbb-tips-10-steps-to-avoid-scams
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact Dan using the “Contact Us” form on the website, or directly via email at dansteves@gmail.com.