A spokesman for the diocese of York said this week: \u201cThe sender has taken some trouble both with identifying their chosen pseudo-sender and the intended victim. In many cases the sender has used an untraceable Gmail address, or texted from an equally untraceable pay-as-you-go or \u2018burner\u2019 mobile phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least one person is believed to have lost \u00a31000 in the con and another only narrowly avoided losing a similar sum when they became suspicious after being asked to supply the voucher codes.<\/p>\n
The diocesan spokesman continued: \u201cIt seems this is a national trend with similar reports from other Church of England dioceses. We have reported one specimen case to North Yorkshire police who have passed it over to Action Fraud, a national police scheme. Incumbents may like to consider advising their church officers and PCC members that: \u2018I will never ask you by email to spend your own money for the church\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
A joint unit of Northumbria, Cleveland, and Durham police has issued an alert over similar issues in the northeast, saying: \u201cClergy will never ask you to give them money, vouchers, or personal banking details directly, even to help someone in need . . . Even if they\u2019re saying you\u2019ll be refunded, it is a scam.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n Scammers have for a second time impersonated the Archbishop of York and other clergy to ask priests and church staff to buy them Amazon vouchers and online gift cards https:\/\/t.co\/uHDbKQn5Ez<\/a><\/p>\n — Church Times (@ChurchTimes) March 21, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n