Dear Friends,

We are aware that many of you continue to receive emails appearing to be from Chip or another member of our clergy or staff requesting your assistance. These emails are fraudulent, originated by scammers using email addresses that resemble our domain (@christchurchcharlotte.org). PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND. Immediately report it to your email provider if possible, and to the Federal Trade Commission.

If you have already responded to such an email, please notify your bank immediately for assistance in protecting your accounts.

This type of fraud is unfortunately rampant among churches, schools, synagogues, and other similar institutions. We are working with cyber security experts to determine best practices for addressing these scams, which originate outside our server and are therefore not preventable.

Rest assured we utilize best-in-class security on our servers, and we are now working to form a cyber defense task force to explore additional avenues for protecting our parish. We have also reported this week's activity to law enforcement and to the FTC.

Our best defense is awareness. We urge you to educate yourself on how these scams work, including this helpful article from the Federal Trade Commission: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/gift-card-scams.

If you have already responded to such an email, please notify your bank immediately for assistance in protecting your accounts.

We are so sorry that our parish has been targeted in this way, and pray that you and your family will remain safe from exploitation.