April 3, 2025

Scam Warning

In the last few months several congregations in the Diocese have been targeted by email and text message scammers. This now has spread to Resurrection. Here are a few things to watch out for to keep yourself safe:

1. The email or sometimes text will purport to come from me asking for help with a confidential matter. If you look at the sender’s email address or telephone number, however, you will find it is not mine. I regularly use two emails for church business. [These addresses have been redacted from the web site, as we cannot control its distribution] If it comes from a different address, it is likely a scam.

2. Pay attention to the language. The emails I have seen ask the recipient to email rather than call for a reason that is not language we use at Resurrection. The signature on the email is not my usual signature. [Examples of my common signatures have been redacted here for security reasons]

3. If you do reply to the email, the sender will likely ask you to buy gift cards to assist someone who is in a terrible state. The details vary and are usually vague. I will never ask you either to provide gift cards or to send any sort of funds directly to me. All assistance I give as Rector goes through Resurrection so that it can be fully accounted.

4. When in doubt, call or email me directly, without replying to the original email.

Because all of us are eager to help someone in need, it is easy to give first and question later. Unfortunately, we live in a world in which we must be both wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Please be careful!