Dear parishioners,

Please be advised that there is a nationwide scam that has affected several parishes in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. This particular scam is titled the “Gift Card” scam.

In this scam the parishioners of a parish are the targets. An unknown person creates an e-mail address account which contains the pastor’s name or the name of the church. An e-mail is then sent to the parishioners requesting them to purchase a gift card and proceeded to tell the unknown person the numbers off of the back of the cards. After the person received the numbers, they stopped sending emails.

The Offices for Clergy suggested that a warning to parishioners should be published in a manner deemed appropriate.