Information on Your Request {816xxx} email - is it genuine?

[Fern]

Earlier today I had an email seemingly from FTDNA, with the subject line Information on Your Request {816[+ 3 more digits]}. It said "Hello,
Your kit was returned to us by the post office. Please verify the address that you would like the kit mailed to. Thank you in advance."
It looks genuine ... but I haven't opened a request with that number, I don't have any missing kits, and I thought FTDNA didn't follow up on mailing issues unless prompted by a customer. Also, the subject line for FTDNA responses to my requests have started with "Update on Your Request ....."
I'm inclined to think it's phishing/spam. Has anyone else had this happen?

[John McCoy]

I would be very suspicious too. If you're not missing a kit, ignore it.

[prairielad]

look at the email address, this usually give an indication of senders validity.

All emails from FTDNA that I have received use the @familytreeDNA.com endings to their email address. They do not use the abbreviation of FTDNA.

IE)[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], ect...

[dna]

If you know your e-mail program well enough to know how to show the code of the headers (or show the original headers etc.), you may want to copy and paste that here. Just exclude your e-mail address.


Mr. W.

[prairielad]

look at the email address, this usually give an indication of senders validity.

All emails from FTDNA that I have received use the @familytreeDNA.com endings to their email address. They do not use the abbreviation of FTDNA.

IE)[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], ect...

To clarify, look at email of sender, not any email listed with in the message itself.
The email address shown when you hit reply....

[The_Contemplator]

I've had FTDNA send me emails with the title "Information on Your Request" even though I had not opened a request. In my case it was for kits whose samples failed the test process and I didn't send a new sample in for a long time.

Do you have any pending tests? Or tests with kits that use your email address as the primary address? If so, the sample could have been depleted. They may have tried to send you a new collection kit but the post office rejected the address FTDNA has for you.

[Fern]

Thanks, everyone

The email turns out to be genuine. I thought I'd received a replacement kit sent in March, but I hadn't (don't ask!) That, plus getting a number of seemingly genuine phishing emails recently, prompted the thought of spam. I'm pleased to find I was wrong.

Again, thanks to everyone for their input