Scammers posing as clergy members to trick parishioners out of their money
GREEN TREE, Pa. (KDKA) — A warning from a church community in the South Hills.
Scammers are posing as clergy members to trick parishioners out of their money. The priest at The Parish of St. Raphael the Archangel posted a warning on the parish's website about this because he found out scammers had targeted several people with strange text messages and emails.
The text message reads, "Hi Vicki, return my text when you get it, I have a favor to ask. Blessings, Fr. Robert J. Grecco." Another reads, "Glad to hear from you Erin. I'm currently in a pressing meeting, I would have called but calls are not allowed I need to get an Apple gift card for some women battling cancer at the hospital..."
"It's unfortunate, but impersonation is the most common tactic that we see used to perpetrate scams," said Caitlin Driscoll with the Better Business Bureau.
She said scammers would impersonate a priest for one reason.
"Due to that high level of trust and local recognition, as well as local authority associated with their names," Driscoll said.
The Diocese of Pittsburgh said it wasn't a widespread spread issue. Still, Driscoll says it's a good reminder.
"If you receive any kind of unsolicited correspondence regardless of the source, if they're requesting payment or personal information, it's so important to verify the request directly," Driscoll said. "So, contact the organization only using a confirmed phone number."
Driscoll said scammers target churches because they have a lot of success scamming people 65 and older using cell phones.