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Alert: Email Scam Returns
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January 25, 2022Fraudulent emails and texts claiming to come from "Fr. Patrick Hipwell" are again being delivered to parishioners with the intent to confuse, manipulate, and steal.
If you receive a questionable text, please do not reply, and certainly do not purchase anything or provide any sensitive information, particularly financial information.
Nativity clergy and staff will never send “emergency” or “urgent” texts requesting money, eBay gift cards, Google Play gift cards, iTunes gift cards, or any other monetary requests.
Please always be vigilant and even be skeptical of unknown cell numbers. Even if the texter uses a familiar name, and even if the text uses your name.
When in doubt, contact the supposed source party through another channel, or ignore it altogether.
What to do if you receive a text from a scammer claiming to be Fr. Patrick:
- You can sometimes report a scammer directly from your mobile device (see photo at right).
- Forward the text to 7726 (the numbers spell out SPAM). Doing so allows cell phone carriers to identify the senders of smishing messages and take steps to limit messages from them going forward.
- You are also encouraged to make a report to the Federal Trade Commission here: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#crnt&panel1-4.
- Block the number from sending you future texts.
Thank you!
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From the archives:- Previous post on phishing emails from 3/22/2019: https://nativitystpaul.org/news/phishing-emails
- Previous post on phishing texts from 4/15/19: http://nativitystpaul.org/news/phishing-scam-now-utilizing-texts
- Channel 5 story from 3/21/19, which interviews Isaac Huss, Director of Communications at Nativity: https://kstp.com/news/phishing-scam-targeting-area-churches-minneapolis-st-paul-ardiocese/5287778/?cat=12196
- The Catholic Spirit article from 5/1/19, which quotes our blog posts: http://thecatholicspirit.com/featured/online-scam-targets-priests-parishioners/
