With ICAST 2024 having recently completed, American Sportfishing Association (ASA) members, as well as exhibitors and sponsors, should be aware of a common scam targeting the events industry involving fraudulent emails claiming to offer for sale “attendee lists” and other information. Some of these scammers have unfortunately targeted affiliates of the Association. There are reports of more sophisticated scammers using logos in their messages to dupe unsuspecting recipients.

Please note that ASA or the ICAST team is not sending these communications, nor are the senders affiliated with us in any way. (See ASA’s Privacy Policy) Please also note that ASA’s IT systems have not been compromised, and the email addresses included in disseminations of this nature have not been obtained from the Association.

Scammers offering event attendee lists often use web crawler or email “scraper” software programs to search for emails listed (identifiable by the “@” sign). This is a common issue with large conferences and trade shows in recent years.

Please do not respond to a company claiming to offer an ATA attendee list. By responding, even with a request to unsubscribe, you confirm that your email address is active. This may result in additional unwanted emails.

For more information on this scam, including how your email may have become included on a distribution list of this kind, see “An Investigation into Fake List Vendors” from industry publication Trade Show News Network.

Be advised:

  • If you receive an attendee list scam email, do not interact with the sender, and follow your organization’s procedure for reporting SPAM.
  • If emails continue, you may also wish to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission by going to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

FRAUDULENT EMAIL SAMPLE

Note, in the below sample message, the odd phrasing and poor grammar. Also, be on the lookout for senders using free email services (such as Gmail), have misspelt domain names in their address, or “work for a company” that simply does not exist. Avoid clicking any suspicious hyperlinks or downloading attachments from emails of this nature.  Do not follow any direction to “opt out” which requires replying to the sender.


Subject: Audience List of ICAST 2024

Hi,

Good opportunity to purchase an Attendees list of International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades 2024 for the best price, don’t miss it!

Attendees: Retailers, Wholesalers, Independent Shop Owners, Buyers, Pro-Staff, Independent Manufacturers’ Reps, Custom Tackle Builders, Industry Representatives and more!

If you’re interested, kindly let me know so that I can share counts and pricing details for your review.

Awaiting Your Response,

Marketing Coordinator

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