SAN ANTONIO – The Archdiocese of San Antonio learned that a fake account that was taken down after a few days on Instagram was using Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller’s name to solicit donations.
"I have not asked for money, and I don't have that kind of account," Garcia-Siller said. "This is fraud and should not be tolerated."
They were strong words from the archbishop, who said scammers were abusing technology to profit off the COVID-19 pandemic.
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"Many people suffer the consequences of this kind of scam," Garcia-Siller said. "It's not right. It's against the law."
A spokesman for the Archdiocese of San Antonio said there have been no victims who have come forward so far, but anyone who thinks they were scammed while the fake account was still active is urged to contact San Antonio police immediately.
A statement from the Archdiocese of San Antonio also advises the public to “exercise caution when seeing this type of social media communication.” It also strongly recommends verifying “the legitimacy of any appeal.”