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Scammers impersonate church ministers in gift card scheme targeting congregations

A nationwide scam exploits trust in clergy to dupe church members into buying gift cards for fake charitable causes.

newest coverage 1d agosummary written 1d ago3 pieces MastodonNewswiresGoogle News

What to know

  • Scammers have been targeting churches nationwide since 2021 using spoofed emails impersonating ministers, exploiting the trust between clergy and congregation members.
  • The typical scam requests gift cards for vulnerable congregation members; once victims comply, scammers ask for more, and some cards are traced to tampering at major Australian supermarkets.
  • Churches in every state and territory have been affected; the Sydney Diocese and National Anti-Scam Centre now advise verifying requests independently before sending money or gift card details.

“Before responding to requests for personal information, money or bank account details from someone claiming to be from your church or religious group confirm it is legitimate”

National Anti-Scam Centre, ACCC spokesperson · ABC News ↗

Sharyn Reisener Church volunteerNathan McQueen Head of IT, Sydney Anglican ServicesNational Anti-Scam Centre (ACCC) Government scam monitoring agency

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

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4 PMtoday8 AM4 PMnow · 11:21 PM ET
  1. 1

    ABC investigates gift card tampering at major supermarkets

    An ABC investigation reveals that gift cards have been tampered with and sold by Australia's biggest supermarkets, with charges laid over the issue.

    “That rang even more alarm bells because I knew he wouldn't call me 'Office', he would call me by name…”
    — Sharyn Reisener, Church volunteer · source
    1. 2 outlets Scammers impersonate church ministers in nationwide gift card scam - ABC News & Headlines

      first by Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1d ago · also ABC Australia

      1 more headline
  2. background

    Sydney Diocese issues video warning on the scam — After seeing the scam attempted multiple times, the Sydney Anglican Diocese releases a video warning to church leaders and members explaining how scammers target congregations.

  3. background

    Sharyn Reisener receives spoofed minister email — A Townsville church volunteer receives an email appearing to be from her minister but using a slightly altered email address (firstname.lastname@outlook.com instead of firstname_lastname@outlook.com), followed by a request for a church directory PDF.

  4. background

    Church gift card scam begins operating nationwide — The National Anti-Scam Centre reports the scam began operating around the country, targeting churches in every state and territory.