We are living in a climate of scammers and hackers trying to catch the unsuspecting, so this article is looking at some scenarios and what to do if you come across something suspicious.
Fortunately, we rarely encounter these issues, but if or when it does happen, the sooner we are made aware of something out of the ordinary, the sooner we can act.
If you see anything suspicious - contact us immediately at info@musicteachers.co.uk. Don't worry that it may not be relevant - we will investigate. It is much better to be safe than sorry.
We are putting together a protocol that we, as your support team, can follow as soon as there is any potential issue to ensure we are as prepared as possible. Working together, we can keep us all safer.
Important points to be aware of
We will NEVER pressure you to reveal your personal details by asking you to click a link in a message or an email. If we need you to update bank details or personal information, we will let you know how to do this through the normal system. Any link in our emails should only take you to your dashboard, which you can access yourself by logging into your account in the normal way.
If we contact you urgently by email, asking you to carry out a task, please check the email address this has come from. If it doesn't appear to be our email address, please do not carry out any instructions and contact us immediately. Our normal email addresses are info@musicteachers.co.uk and workwithus@musicteachers.co.uk.
If we telephone you to request your personal information, please ensure that the call has come from one of us in the support team. We will never phone you to ask for bank details unless this has already been discussed. If you are unsure, please email us to check we are the caller. Our email is info@musicteachers.co.uk.
Potential Scenarios
'Students' sending you an unusual message, such as offering you a baby grand piano or other musical instrument. This is a common spam email/message and will rarely be genuine. Please click the decline button and don't provide your details.
'Students' sending you a job offer. These can be genuine, but please take care. This type of message breaks the student's terms, but occasionally they are sent. If you are interested, please check the validity of the sender before responding and giving any information. If you do respond, you do so at your own risk.
'Students' sending you a message that doesn't feel right or is inappropriate. Occasionally, we see a fake student send messages to teachers. A limit of 5 new teacher enquiries per week is set on student accounts reducing the number of this type of message being sent to teachers. If you see a message like this, click the 'decline' button to reply to the student and email us at info@musicteachers.co.uk so we can investigate.
'Support' sends you a new enquiry message through your inbox. We will never send you a 'new student' enquiry to request you take action. If you see a message like this, please contact us immediately at info@musicteachers.co.uk. If we wish to contact you, we will use the email address held on your account or telephone your registered number.
Hopefully, you will never be in any of the above situations, but the more prepared we are, the safer we, your fellow teachers and your students will be.
Any time you are in doubt, let us know immediately at info@musicteachers.co.uk.