As if we didn’t have enough scams to watch out for, there’s a new one to be aware of now. If you receive an email from your Priest or Pastor asking you to buy gift cards for a good cause, you could be the next victim.

We have seen this twice in Alliance now; affecting local pastors and their parisioners. As we understand it, a scammer hacks into a Pastor’s email account and copies their contacts list. Then the the scammer creates a new email account impersonating the pastor. Using this fake identity, the scammer sends emails to the stolen contacts asking for some sort of electronic payment (mostly gift cards) for a supposed good cause.

If you receive an email or text message from your church asking for an electronic donation, please take some precautions. We recommend calling the church first, just to make sure you don’t fall victim to a scam. Alternatively, take any donations directly to the church in person.

And finally, if you have paid up without realizing the scam, you should report it to the authorities.