Dear Parishioners,

Please beware of gift card scams. Scammers often pretend to be a pastor, rabbi, priest, imam, or bishop. They ask worshipers for gift card contributions for a worthy cause. Appeals are often made by email, but people are also getting texts and phone calls, too.

The bogus emails often include the name of the local pastor and a legitimate looking email address. But, a closer look should raise some red flags. For example, the email address isn’t the one normally used by the church, and the service provider is different, too. The message may begin with a simple “Hi,” but doesn’t include a recipient's name. There also may be spelling errors, including a misspelling of the pastor’s name.

If you or someone you know paid a scammer with a gift card, report it as soon as possible. Call the card company and tell them the gift card was used in a scam. Tell the FTC about it at ftc.gov/complaint. Your reports may help law enforcement agencies launch investigations that could stop imposters and other fraudsters in their tracks.
 
https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2019/07/worshipers-targeted-gift-card-scam?fbclid=IwAR3PEDxVeyVjI-WEAzA0RYddPmTJhltPj-3cfLpW4gy9sW-3O60mmoacp38