Hoax Email Received by Colonial School District Staff Members

The Colonial School District sent an email to parents just after 3:00 p.m. to let them know that school district employees received the hoax email that made national news today.

The email was sent to businesses and institutions across the country and demanded a payment in return for not harming the recipient’s workplace. Below is the text of the email from the school district:

We wanted to make you aware that some District staff members received a phishing scam email this afternoon that threatened harm to the school if payment wasn’t made to an online account in the form of bitcoin. Our Technology Department and School Safety Officer, in conjunction with the Whitemarsh Police Department, immediately confirmed that this email was a hoax and was linked to an invalid web account. We have learned that some neighboring school districts received a similar email.

Please know that the safety of our students, staff and buildings is a priority and we take all threats seriously. Again, the Whitemarsh PD has confirmed this email presents no threat to the District.