Four United Methodist congregations in Birmingham, Ala., and several in the Northern Illinois Annual Conference are among those recently targeted by an email scam seeking gift cards for cancer patients.
According to ABC Channel 33/40 in Birmingham, members of Avondale UMC, Trinity UMC, Highland UMC, and Bluff Park UMC, along with churches of other denominations, have received spurious emails allegedly from their pastors seeking donations to buy gift cards purportedly for people with cancer. The weekly newsletter of the Northern Illinois Conference reported that a similar scam had been tried against churches in its area, but it didn't specify how many were targeted.
What the scammers apparently don't realize is that by and large, United Methodist congregations don't use such a method for charitable collections, church sources said.
"Something always seems a bit shady when you get emails like that because that's not how churches operate. If we're going to buy a gift card it would be for that individual and we would give it to that individual," Jason McCrory, administrator for Bluff Park UMC, told the local TV station. Mr. McCrory said the latest scam is "just one more thing we have to look out for."
Anyone receiving a suspicious email seeking donations was urged to contact his or her pastor to verify it before contributing.