NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - The Federal Trade Commission is warning people to pay attention to their emails, texts, and phone calls, WSMV reports.
A new scam is targeting faith-based people.
The scammer sends an email or a text and introduces themselves as a pastor or religious leader that you may know.
The scammer then asks you to buy gift cards like Amazon or Google Play for a worthy cause.
They then ask for the gift card number and pin which allows the scammer to get the money that’s on the card.
Galen Davis, lead pastor at Cornerstone Church, said it’s despicable what some people will do to try and steal from others.
“It’s frustrating when you’re trying to help people when someone else wants to come in and slide in. It’s like a wolf in sheep’s clothing," said Davis.
Davis said this is something no church would ever ask.
“First of all we don’t ask for money like that. We ask for money from the stage in the offering," said Davis. "If you’re going to give, you either give through our website or give in the offering. We’re not going to ask for different variances on how to give."
Josh DeVine, communications director with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said people have to be vigilant and pay attention.
“We all need to pump the breaks before we hand over cash, especially cash that might be solicited in some weird ways that doesn’t make a lot of sense to us," said DeVine. "Things like emails that don’t make sense, phone numbers that don’t make sense, names that might be misspelled, language that isn’t the way you would speak, just sort of these things that don’t sit quite right with you. If it’s something that seems weird, it probably is.”
Contact the FTC if you or someone you know has fallen victim to the scam.
