Scam Alert

Occasionally churches are the target of some unscrupulous activity, with someone posing as the pastor and asking for "help" from unwitting congregation members.  Every church with a website is a potential target.  It works this way: the scammers go to the church website and comb through newsletters for names, emails and cell phone numbers of church members. They also learn the name of the pastor from the website. Then, they "phish" for additional contact with members by creating a false but believable email address (or a random phone number for texts). They send vague messages posing as the pastor, asking for help with an unspecified matter, and instruct victims about how to contact them, via email or text.  Unfortunately, there's no good recourse for such scams, as they haven't hacked existing emails or phone numbers and there's no effective way to trace them. The best defense is to be aware of any suspicious communications and DO NOT RESPOND. Simply delete them, or if you're unsure, check by calling or writing the Office or Pastor at their official church numbers and emails.