There are very sophisticated criminals who create a fake website for ARVO and other large meetings every year. Prior to the pandemic, they were primarily focused on selling hotel rooms that either do not exist or that have been marked up in price. They are now adding registration sales to their scams. Visit only ARVO.org/annual-meeting or ARVO.org/am to book your hotel or to register.

These ‘companies’ have the ability to deceive members and attendees into paying false invoices. A commonly used strategy is to target people by posing as a third-party organization (such as MedConn) that handles payments and billing information or as an employed member of a company using relevant details and public information accessible online.