LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Scammers are impersonating Las Vegas Valley priests and pretending to be in trouble.
Steve Meriwether knows a lot about scammers. He‘s a retired LVMPD sergeant who’s now the Archdiocese of Las Vegas’ Director of Safety and Risk Management.
Impersonation scams are nothing new, but he believes pretending to be a priest is a new low.
“There aren‘t any barriers to being a thief,” Meriwether said. “You‘re essentially taking the money from God. That’s the way it’s looked at for us because that‘s where the money’s going.”
Some parishioners and and Archdiocese employees got scam emails from someone posing as a priest.
It asks for some help running an errand. Other emails take it a step further. The sender pretends to be a priest in trouble. The receiver can help, though, by buying gift cards.
“Something that wouldn’t ever be used to get somebody out of trouble,” added Meriwether.
One devout staff member even bought some gift cards. Meriwether said priests in trouble would never turn to their congregation. If churchgoers get an email like this and aren’t sure if it is real, Meriwether advises that they pick up the phone and call their church or the Archdiocese.
“It’s much creepier and even more underbelly than as bas as scamming is to begin with.”
This scam is not exclusive to priests. The Federal Trade Commission warns criminals pose as all types of religious leaders to get money and financial information. You can report this scam to the FTC.
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