"Phishing" is the fraudulent practice of sending emails or other messages purporting to be from reputable companies or people in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. A growing number of parishes are reporting that emails have been received by their parishioners, allegedly from their pastor or a member of the parish staff, asking people to purchase gift cards or send money to help the poor. This is a scam – and unfortunately is being seen around the country. Priests or representationvs of the Church will never contact you by text or email to ask for any "favors" or for donations of cash or gift cards.
When you are aware of a telephone, text or computer scam in a parish or diocesan location, please let the Diocese know Report Scams
To learn more about Phishing and to see specific examples of scams targetting parishioners, see the following Diocese of Paterson webpage. Avoiding Scams