topic Re: Scammed in Community Chat

Scammed

Puzzle Piece — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:10:52 GMT

Yesterday the pastor of my fellowship congregation called me to ask why I sent in a TARGET gift card. I told him it was because he asked for one to help out a fellow member who had financial hardship.

He told me that it was a scam and that he did not reach out to ask folks to donate. It was a scam. Apparently someone had somehow uncovered all the email addresses of the members and attendees and requested tha same item - a TARGET gift card.

Watch out folks as the skunks are everywhere and trying anything to steal.

Re: Scammed

We rescue cats — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:18:35 GMT

Oh gosh, obviously no shame and no conscience or this person would not be a scammer. . . I cannot believe these people. (Or AI!)

Re: Scammed

Carmie — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:21:53 GMT

@Puzzle Piece Wow. That's a new one.

It sounds like a prank, not a scam. If everyone sends gift cards to the pastor and not to a thief, it doesn't appear anyone stole anything.

Re: Scammed

ValuSkr — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:22:48 GMT

How did the scammer benefit from this scheme? It sounds like your pastor was the beneficiary.

Re: Scammed

m0rgan — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:28:17 GMT

Maybe it was a test to see if it would work. I don't think it was the pastor or he wouldn't have called to see why it was sent.

Re: Scammed

Puzzle Piece — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:38:57 GMT

@ValuSkr It could have been a prank but what an off wonked one it was if that is the case.

The pastor refunded or returned all the donations so it wasn't something that the scammer could have. However, some folks might have tapped into their on=line banking accounts and infor might have been compromised.

Re: Scammed

I am still oxox — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:39:55 GMT

Did you check to see if your credit card or bank account was debited?

Re: Scammed

Mz iMac — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 15:50:03 GMT

@Puzzle Piece wrote:
@ValuSkr It could have been a prank but what an off wonked one it was if that is the case.
The pastor refunded or returned all the donations so it wasn't something that the scammer could have. However, some folks might have tapped into their on=line banking accounts and infor might have been compromised.

@Puzzle Piece Scam or prank, smells like an INSIDE job to me. Who in your fellowship has access to everyone's email addy and/or any other personal info & why would they?

Re: Scammed

beach-mom — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 15:56:43 GMT

@Puzzle Piece wrote:
Yesterday the pastor of my fellowship congregation called me to ask why I sent in a TARGET gift card. I told him it was because he asked for one to help out a fellow member who had financial hardship.
He told me that it was a scam and that he did not reach out to ask folks to donate. It was a scam. Apparently someone had somehow uncovered all the email addresses of the members and attendees and requested tha same item - a TARGET gift card.
Watch out folks as the skunks are everywhere and trying anything to steal.

@Puzzle Piece - I get scams all of the time, and now it is hitting churches. We went through this last week. No matter what security measures are in place, these Internet savvy scammers can somehow break through and little can be done about it.

We just continue to make everyone aware.

Re: Scammed

Puzzle Piece — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 16:01:04 GMT

@Mz iMac I was thinking the same thing. an INSIDE job.

Kinda odd as they would have to find a clear way to get the funds and not be caught.

Re: Scammed

KittySoftPaws — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 17:13:40 GMT

@m0rgan This was my first thought too.

Re: Scammed

lgfan — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 17:16:07 GMT

@Puzzle Piece wrote:
@Mz iMac I was thinking the same thing. an INSIDE job.
Kinda odd as they would have to find a clear way to get the funds and not be caught.

The information was not meant for the pastor's knowledge. I think that he accidently found out about it and informed his congregation.

Re: Scammed

Bhvbum — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 17:35:28 GMT

@lgfan wrote:
@Puzzle Piece wrote:
@Mz iMac I was thinking the same thing. an INSIDE job.
Kinda odd as they would have to find a clear way to get the funds and not be caught.

The information was not meant for the pastor's knowledge. I think that he accidently found out about it and informed his congregation.

How could the pastor not know, when all of the gift cards were sent to him? It still doesn't make any sense to me.
Was there money actually on all those cards that were sent? And if the pastor received them, what was the scam? I could understand if he got a card that had no value, and the person gave their banking information to someone who had a blank card sent.

Re: Scammed

lgfan — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 17:39:33 GMT

@Bhvbum wrote:
@lgfan wrote:
@Puzzle Piece wrote:
@Mz iMac I was thinking the same thing. an INSIDE job.
Kinda odd as they would have to find a clear way to get the funds and not be caught.

The information was not meant for the pastor's knowledge. I think that he accidently found out about it and informed his congregation.
How could the pastor not know, when all of the gift cards were sent to him? It still doesn't make any sense to me.
Was there money actually on all those cards that were sent? And if the pastor received them, what was the scam? I could understand if he got a card that had no value, and the person gave their banking information to someone who had a blank card sent.

In many offices an assistant usually intercepts the mail. It was probably someone in his office who sent the e-mails hoping to get the cards before the pastor saw them.

Re: Scammed

JeanLouiseFinch — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 18:17:59 GMT

@lgfan wrote:
@Puzzle Piece wrote:
@Mz iMac I was thinking the same thing. an INSIDE job.
Kinda odd as they would have to find a clear way to get the funds and not be caught.

The information was not meant for the pastor's knowledge. I think that he accidently found out about it and informed his congregation.

It kinda smells like the church secretary. If he/she usually opens the mail, they would likely get the cards without the pastor knowing. Poor scheming on their part, though, if the cards arrived on their day off or if the pastor just happened to get the mail on a particular day.

Re: Scammed

Puzzle Piece — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 18:06:50 GMT

@Bhvbum Some folks have on-line banking and have the church QR code and send funds in that way.

That would scare me as info to my account could be breached.

Re: Scammed

We rescue cats — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 18:53:21 GMT

I had a bank meeting this afternoon, the folks said this is hitting the public and it is because there is no actual card issued. The buyer gets an ID number for the $$$ amount but it will not do a thing for them, the scammer is really after a valid credit card number.

Re: Scammed

CrazyTimes — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 20:04:47 GMT

I know someone whose church is constantly being hacked. The hacker sends out emails from the pastor to the parishioners asking for personal info to update records or donations for different things. Yikes!

She told me this has happened several times in the past few years. The pastor keeps telling the congregation the emails are not from him. Somehow someone got the database of email addresses and that person continues to send out the scam emails. The fact that it continues tells me some parishioners are still falling for it.

Lots of people out there trying to scam! Beware!

Re: Scammed

Mz iMac — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 20:17:41 GMT

@CrazyTimes wrote:
The fact that it continues tells me some parishioners are still falling for it.

@CrazyTimes Tells me the church has Pookie manning the computers & there is no security protocol set up.

Re: Scammed

Kachina624 — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 20:25:45 GMT

@Puzzle Piece. It sounds like a vindictive act against your pastor by somebody who had access to church records. It would be a lot of trouble for him to contact the victims then return all the cards.

Police should investigate.