The Bishop, your clergy, and diocesan staff will NEVER ask you for money or gift cards via personal email or text.
There is nothing we can do to stop a scammer from creating an email address that uses the name of a priest, diocesan staff member, or the Bishop. We cannot stop people from sending fake text messages. But there are ways to spot this fraud and deal with it wisely.
- Know our email signature. All diocesan house staff have an email that looks like this: [email protected]. We will never communicate with you via gmail or hotmail or any other email provider.
- Know your rector's professional email.
- Phishing emails smell fishy. Asking for emergency funds while traveling is a standard ploy.
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If you think it's a scam... Do not open the email. If you've already opened it, do not click on anything. Block the address or designate it as spam.
- Check your narthex after the Sunday service for bulletins with contact info, or community directories
