Sometimes, it feels like a new scam is born every minute.
The latest new scam came from the member of a church in Cottonwood County. The premise is this, according to an area church member:
“A pastor is supposedly contacting church members to promote some type of special gift for the staff at the church.”
According to the report, the scammer gets access to an online church directory, usually through some believable story about being a potential new member and wanting to connect with someone he or she met at church. Through that directory, the scammer gets telephone numbers of church members.
The scammer then sends a text that is made to look like it comes from the pastor. The first text goes something like this:
‘This is highly confidential. I would like your help, could you get back to me in a text?”
When the member gets back to the pastor replies with another text.
“This was strange,” the area resident said. “I thought our pastor would want to talk on the phone, but this operates only through text, a red flag.”
The scammer goes on to text (still impersonating the pastor):
“I’ve been busy with a lot of things and am wondering if you could help me get some gifts for our staff.”
Once the recipient of the text replies, the scammer requests gift cards for the staff.
These probably would not be expensive gift cards, but if the scammer contacts a couple of hundred people from various churches, one can see how it adds up.
It appears this particular scam involved a relatively small church, so it was recognized fairly quickly. So far as anyone can tell few, if any, losses occurred.
Share your scam story
Local law enforcement is concerned about the impact of scams on area residents, particularly the elderly.
Consequently, this newspaper works with local police and sheriff’s departments to keep residents updated on common schemes. Scam Alerts will appear in future editions as often as possible in the coming weeks.
Readers can also find online scam updates weekly at windomnews.com.
If you have been the target of a scam, your first contact should be local authorities. Also, feel free to contact us with details (we can keep your name confidential).
Send your story to: rahnl@windomnews.com, or call 507-831-3455. By sharing, you could prevent someone from being scammed.
Area church member reports gift scam
