Scam Alert

An email scam targeting members of Catholic churches and institutions across Canada is active in the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall. In some places, the scam is transmitted by text messages.

Typically, someone purporting to be a priest—or even a bishop—sends an email with a plea for electronic gift cards, notably untraceable iTunes gift cards, to be sent to another address so that they may be given to someone in need or used for a fundraising event. In some cases, the scammers take the
act a step further: they ask the victim to scratch the backs of the cards and give them the revealed PIN to allow them to access the cash value.

The scam has been previously reported by several other dioceses in Canada and the US, and there are reports of parishioners who have lost money to a fraudster pretending to be the pastor of a parish. One Ottawa parishioner sent $1,100 to a fraudster pretending to be  their parish priest.

If you receive such an email message or text, confirm it is genuine before responding in any way; it is likely a scam. Exercise caution when checking email messages. If the request seems at all unusual, check the email address on the message–often, it will not be the person’s genuine address. Even if it does look genuine, always verify suspect messages by phoning the sender on a known phone number (not the phone number in the suspect message). Do not trust your call display; fraudsters send false numbers and identities over phone lines.

Visit https://www.ontario.ca/page/report-scam-or-fraud for more cautions.

If you have been targeted and purchased gift cards, try to cancel them as soon as possible. Ask for a refund or an exchange for new cards issued. Report the theft to police and spam@fightspan.gc.ca.

Here is an example of these email messages:

Subject: Peace Unto You
Hi, how are you doing?
I need a favor from you, email me as soon as you get this message.
God Bless,
Fr. ____
Pastor

When the targeted person replies, they get this message:

Subject: Re: Peace Unto You
OK. I'm in a meeting right now, that's why i'm contacting you through here. I should have call you instead of mailing you but phones are not allowed to be use during meeting, I really don't 
know when the meeting will be rounding up so can you help me to get an iTunes gift card worth $400 at $100 or $50 denominations for a friend of mine going through cancer in the hospital. He needs the cards to download his favorite musics and videos to boost his confidence on his next
phase of surgery and fight over cancer which he's going to undergo today but i can't do this now.

Can you get it from any store around you now? I will pay back as soon as i can. Thanks

God bless,
Fr. ____
Pastor