Online Safety for Barbershoppers

Don't fall prey to scams by bad actors impersonating BHS leaders, staff operations, prominent members or quartets.

BHS leaders and staff will never reach out to you personally to ask for money, wire transfers, or gift cards via social media DMs or unofficial email accounts.

To keep your personal information and finances secure, please keep these Safety Essentials in mind.

1. Check the "From" line

Official Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) business—especially anything involving dues, shopping, or financial transactions—will come from an email address ending in @barbershop.org. These include

Membership records and dues transactions
Merchandise and sheet music orders
Official BHS announcements newsletters, publications
Red flag: If you receive an "urgent" request for money or gift cards from someone using a Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook account, it is likely a scam.

Admittedly, even this is not perfect. The FROM line can be spoofed also. But no official transactions will come from a personal address.

2. Start at the source

BHS official emails will frequently point you to "Further Information" pages hosted directly on barbershop.org for your protection.
When in doubt, don't click. As a general rule for online safety (beyond just barbershop), if you didn’t initiate the connection, assume it’s insecure.
Login to our sites in a separate browser window, ideally using a password manager, then find the transaction you expected to complete.

The safest way to navigate our digital world is to start at our main member sites:

members.barbershop.org for dues and chapter management
shop.barbershop.org for merchandise and sheet music

3. Think before you click

Phishing emails often create a false sense of urgency. If you receive an unexpected link or attachment—even if it looks like it’s from a friend—take a breath.

Verify first: Reach out to the person via a separate, trusted channel to see if they actually sent it. Example: If you get a suspicious email, you might call, text or DM the alleged sender using an address you already have — not the contact received in the suspicious message.
Hover over links: On a computer, hover your mouse over a link to see the actual destination URL before clicking.