Scammers are posing as Louisville priests to trick people into giving them money or gift cards.
Parishes throughout the Archdiocese are warning parishioners about suspicious texts, including those at St. Patrick Catholic Church in east Louisville.
This isn’t the first time text scams have circulated through Louisville’s Catholic community.
The Very Reverend Jeff Shooner, St. Patrick Catholic Church Pastor, said scammers want to gain the trust of his parishioners, so they use his name.
“The text message said that I was in a meeting, but I had a family that the mother was dying of cancer, and so I needed gift cards to help support the family. And they were trying to get a parishioner to give those gift cards to me because I was tied up,” Shooner said.
Another scam text used a different local priest’s name. It said, “Hi John, Please return my text when you get it, I have a favor to ask. Blessings and Peace, Rev. Jonathan Erdman”
Shooner said the scam is convincing. He said priests will never request gift cards or money directly through a text message for any kind of ministry or personal use. If scammers contact you, delete the text or email, report them as spam and block their number. Do not respond.
It is good to remember that if the area code is not local, it is likely a scam.
St. Margaret Mary also sent an email this week to inform its parish and asked them to warn others.
Shooner currently serves as the pastor for both St. Patrick and St. Boniface. On July 1, 2023, he was named the Vicar General for the Archdiocese of Louisville.
To report a scam text, you can email ourparish@stpatlou.org or call (502) 244-6083.
Source: WDRB
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