SAN ANTONIO – Picture it — you open your email and find an unexpected message from your religious leader asking you to send gift cards for a worthy cause. If this happens, it’s more than likely a scam.
Some scammers pretend to be pastors, rabbis, imams, or bishops to steal people’s money. They may use real religious leaders’ names, along with your own name, to gain your trust, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
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Scammers often claim they need help purchasing gift cards for a mission project or to surprise staff, urging you not to talk about it with anyone else.
The FTC said scammers will ask you to put money on gift cards from Apple, Target, or Google Play, then request the card number and PIN. They may also pressure you to act quickly, giving you little time to verify the situation.
Here’s what the FTC recommends:
- Contact someone from your place of worship using a phone number you know is legitimate to confirm the email’s authenticity.
- Most religious leaders won’t suddenly ask you to buy gift cards and share the details over email.
- If you’ve already purchased gift cards and shared the information with scammers, reach out to the company that issued the cards. Let them know they were used in a scam and ask if a refund is possible. While a refund may not always be guaranteed, it’s worth asking.
Lastly, report any gift card scams to reportfraud.ftc.gov.
