Some of our website customers have received deceptive emails that appear to have been sent from the AKC Store, the AKC E-newsletter or other AKC electronic publications. Recipients of these messages are asked to reply or click on a link contained in the email and then provide personal information on a website that appears to be the AKC site. The American Kennel Club will not ask you to provide sensitive information such as passwords, social security numbers and credit card numbers through email. If you have any doubt whether an email is from the AKC, you can forward it to Account_Security@akc.org and we will review it.
Be sure you are on an AKC page
Before signing in, please check the Web address in your browser. If you click on a link in an email, verify that the Web address in your browser is the same as the address shown in the email. The Web address of the AKC begins with www.akc.org. Never type your AKC User ID and password into a Web page that doesn't have “www.akc.org” immediately before the first forward slash (/).
Some customers have reported attempts to gain access to sensitive information through email requests that appear that they were sent from the AKC. These requests often include links to Web pages that will request that you sign in and submit information.
The AKC will never ask you to provide sign-in passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information through email. If we request information from you, we will always direct you back to the AKC site. With very few exceptions, you can submit the requested information through your account management page at http://www.akc.org/account/. If you have received email requesting that you sign in or provide personal information that you suspect was not sent by the AKC, please refer to the following information.
Take caution with email that includes links
The AKC will not send you an email requiring you to enter information on a page that cannot be accessed from the AKC site.
When possible, you should avoid clicking links in an email. Instead of clicking the link, you should copy the address and paste it into the Address/Location area of your web browser. While the AKC may send email that contains links, the links are provided for convenience only. You will not be required to submit sensitive information if a direct link is provided to an AKC page.
Before signing in, please check the Web address in your browser. The Web address of all genuine AKC pages will begin with www.akc.org. If the address includes additional characters prior to the forward slash such as "@," dashes, etc., it is not an AKC page.
Report Suspicious Email to AKC
To report email requesting account information that you suspect was not sent by the AKC send us the email with the complete message text and full header or forward the entire message to Account_Security@akc.org using the forward as attachment function of your email program. When forwarding the message, do not change the subject line, send additional text, or forward the message as an attachment. Forwarding the message in this manner will allow us to review the message headers and any other information that may be attached to the email.