In this new twist on the “fake emergency” scam, a hacker breaks into someone’s email account and sends an emergency email to everyone in their contacts. The email states that while attending the Olympics, their wallet was stolen, leaving them stranded with no money. Please send gift cards or a Venmo deposit.

Additionally, if you are the one intending to travel to Paris for the Olympics, be leery of bogus ticketing sites and scam emails purporting to be from Paris 2024 (the official website for the games) or the Olympic committee.

What to do

If you receive the “fake emergency” email, first contact the person by text or call a number you already have for them. Do not respond to any numbers listed in the email. If you have an alternate email address for them, try that as well. You could also confirm with a mutual friend or family member that this person actually went to Paris. If you reach this person, let them know they were hacked, and they should contact their email provider immediately.

If you’re the one going to Paris for the games, the Paris 2024 official website says they will never ask for your login details or bank information via an email. Also, always scrutinize the sending email address carefully of any email you receive.