The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) has warned people in its database not to respond to an unusual email asking for Bitcoin donations after an unauthorised message was sent from its mailing system.
The email, titled “The National Advocate – Special Appeal”, was made to look like an official OPAN communication and claimed the organisation had been “permanently debanked” and could now only accept donations in Bitcoin.
OPAN has since confirmed that the email was not legitimate and said it is investigating the incident.
In a security notice posted on LinkedIn, the peak body for older Australians said an “unauthorised email” had been distributed through its mailing system.
“Please do not click any links, open attachments, or provide any personal information in response to this email,” OPAN said.
The organisation said it was “actively investigating the incident” and implementing additional security measures.
It also apologised for any concern caused and said it would provide further updates when they became available.
The fraudulent message was particularly convincing because it used OPAN’s usual newsletter format and contained links to what appeared to be OPAN updates, government news, resources and upcoming events.
However, the main appeal contained a bizarre claim that OPAN’s banking provider had closed its accounts.
“OPAN has been permanently debanked – we can now only accept donations in Bitcoin,” the email stated.
It claimed OPAN’s banking facilities had been removed and that an appeal could take up to two years to resolve.
The message then encouraged recipients to donate Bitcoin, while also providing a link labelled as a “secure donation page”.
The claims were false.
There is currently no indication from OPAN that it has been permanently debanked or that it can only accept donations in Bitcoin.
The email was instead sent without authorisation, according to OPAN.
The incident is particularly concerning given OPAN’s role as a peak body representing older people and its extensive mailing database.
OPAN provides advocacy, information and support to older Australians, including through its National Older Persons Advocacy Network and aged care advocacy services.
People receiving emails from trusted organisations can be more likely to open them, particularly when the message appears to relate to an organisation they have previously dealt with.
The fraudulent email also used genuine-looking OPAN content around the Bitcoin appeal, potentially making the scam harder to identify at first glance.
OPAN has urged recipients not to interact with the message.
Anyone who received the email should avoid clicking its links, opening attachments or entering personal or financial information.
OPAN has not yet publicly detailed how its mailing system was accessed, how many people received the unauthorised email or whether any personal information was accessed as part of the incident.
It has also not confirmed whether the incident involved a broader compromise of its systems or was limited to its email marketing platform.
Those details are likely to become clearer as OPAN’s investigation progresses.
For now, the organisation’s advice is straightforward: treat the Bitcoin email as a scam and do not interact with it.
The incident is a reminder that even emails appearing to come directly from a trusted organisation can be compromised or misused.
OPAN said it would provide further updates as they become available.
