“Blessings,” the email started out innocently enough. “Kindly spare me a few time [sic] for a request.”
The sender appeared to be Bishop Bonnie A. Perry of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. The recipient? Tali, Perry’s Australian Shepherd, who has her own diocesan email account as “Canine to the Ordinary.”
The first Tali email hit in 2023. Then Bishop Perry and Tali found themselves in another round of scam emails in 2024. In the last two months, at least five congregations across the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan have been targeted by email and cyber scams. They are part of what law enforcement authorities say is a growing industry that defrauds Americans of billions of dollars a year.
The incidents usually begin innocuously via email. In one case, a person claiming to be a new parishioner asked church staff for a PDF of the organization’s directory. The requester said they were told new members could make such a request.
After initially not being given the full list, the person became increasingly indignant and exasperated. They complained about rude treatment. Eventually, a well-intentioned staff member provided the full directory. Not long after, a deluge of scam messages and texts began hitting members’ emails and phones.
In early January, a person claiming to be The Rev. Anthony Estes at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit sent an email to a staff member asking her to get $500 in eBay gift cards. The cards were to be presents for people who were ill and as a staff bonus. The request was followed up by specific instructions on how to scratch off the protective coating over the redemption code, then photograph the exposed code and forward the image to the person posing as Rev. Estes.
Last September, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a consumer alert aimed at faith-based organizations. They described a situation similar to the one that involved Rev. Estes.
“Some scammers pretend to be pastors, rabbis, imams, or bishops to steal worshippers’ money. Learn to spot gift card scams — or your money might end up in a scammer’s collection plate,” the FTC said in its alert.
Bishop Perry urged people who get requests for money from her office, or their own congregation’s pastor, to check with them first before sending funds. “Neither me — nor my dog — will ever ask people for money via text or email,” she said.
According to the FBI’s latest Internet Crime Report, Americans lost a record $12.5 billion to online fraud in 2023, a 22 percent increase from the previous year.
Nakia Mills, director of marketing for the Better Business Bureau of Detroit and Eastern Michigan, said the agency does not typically collect religious belief background when people file complaints, so data on if faith-based groups are being singled out is hard to track.
“It is important to remember that millions of Americans from all sorts of backgrounds are targeted by scammers each day because these fraudsters work hard to find different methods to try taking advantage of people of various demographics,” she said.
According to the BBB Institute of Marketplace Trust, the top five riskiest scams reported by consumers are: Investment/crypto currency; employment; online purchase; home improvement; and romance.
The Better Business Bureau also issued an alert last summer warning charitable organizations about unexpected large donations from unknown donors. Mills said churches can help project themselves by following these recommendations:
Frank Ravitch, a professor of law and religion at Michigan State University College of Law, said the remedies for recouping scam losses available to churches and religious institutions are generally the same as for secular organizations. However, defrauding a charitable organization can carry higher criminal penalties in some states.
Ravitch passed along the following advice for church leaders and staff as they navigate those who may be preying on people of faith’s dedication to serving others.
“In today’s world of cyber scamming, it is essential to always be on guard and confirm the identity of any person or organization you do not know that you deal with online. Also, check to see what scams are reported online, but remember there are new ones that may not yet be reported. Don’t assume you are safe just because the other person uses the ‘language of faith.’”