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Dear friend,
We’ve received reports of scammers impersonating Allendale’s pastors, staff, and leadership. We want to remind everyone that Allendale will never ask you to buy gift cards as a way to pay online. There may be rare instances where we suggest buying a gift card for a specific purpose, like a baby shower or going away gift. Still, we will never ask you for the activation code or for pictures of the gift card, and we will never ask you to mail the gift card. Remember: Gift cards are for gifts, not for payments.
Prevent being scammed. Be on the lookout for the following:
1. Someone asking for a gift card purchase to be discreet/confidential and asking for email replies only – Scammers use these tactics to prevent you from talking to anyone who might help you realize you’re being scammed. While there are some instances around churches and pastoral support where confidentiality is necessary, we strongly recommend contacting us via another means, like a text message or phone call (don’t reply to the email you received) to double-check whether we’re actually asking you to buy something. If the email says something similar to “no calls or texts,” this should be a major red flag that you are being targeted for a scam. Here’s an example of an actual spam email that someone recently got:
- “I am currently busy in a prayer session, no calls so just reply to my email.”
2. Someone asking you to send activation codes – Scammers are unable to use gift cards unless they physically have them in their possession or have the activation code on the back. We will never ask you to mail gift cards anywhere, take a photo of gift cards, or send the gift card activation code to us. Any request that involves revealing or sharing the activation code of a gift card should be a major red flag that you are being targeted for a scam. Here’s an example of an actual spam email that someone recently got:
- “I need 7 qty Amazon gift cards for $200 each (total $1400) . You should get them at any store around you. After you get them, scratch the back and take clear pictures of each card and send it to me here. I will handle the distribution of the cards to each staff accordingly. This should remain confidential until each of them gets their card.”
3. Email address – While some scammers can spoof an official email address, most scams will use a random email account and change the name to appear like an Allendale staff member. Official Allendale email addresses are formatted in a specific way, firstname@allendaleumc.org. Be on the lookout for email addresses like this example, which is similar to an actual spam email someone got:
4. Language and grammar – Often, messages from scammers will use a different vocabulary than the person they are trying to impersonate. Look for unusual words like “kindly, discreetly, accordingly, diligent,” etc., frequent typos, unnatural phrasing, and a sense of urgency. Here’s an example of an actual spam email that someone recently got; in all of our examples, we’ve intentionally left all misspellings, bad grammar, and extra spaces:
- “Here’s what I want you too do for me because I am a little busy right now. You can get this done? and how soon?”
If you think you have received an email attempting to impersonate someone from Allendale, please call the church office at 727-527-6694 and forward the suspicious email to conduct@allendaleumc.org. Do not reply to any suspicious emails.
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