Recently an elderly male parishioner of a nearby parish was the victim of a scam that was perpetrated by a man that he met in that parish.   The man gained the parishioner’s confidence over a short period of time.  He then told the parishioner that he needed several thousand dollars in order to bring his girlfriend here from her country so that they could marry.  He promised the parishioner that he would eventually re-pay him. Needless to say, after the parishioner gave the man the money, he never saw the man again.  Please be careful in any dealings with people that you have known for only a short period of time, regardless of where you met them.  Those who are unscrupulous think nothing of lying, no matter where they are or what the circumstances are.

Please be aware that thieves send out bogus emails and text messages, claiming to be from the Pastor or parish staff member with an urgent request to purchase gift cards. This type of scam can be successful because people receiving them trust that the source is legitimate. Under no circumstances should the requested action be performed solely based on a text message or email exchange. Text messages and emails can easily be spoofed to appear that they are coming from a specific person. Father Bob, Father Ashley and the parish staff will never send you an email or a text requesting that you purchase gift cards on their behalf. If you receive an email or text from any member of our staff that appears unusual, contact the person to validate the message. Do not simply exchange text messages emails. If you are confirming the instructions over the phone, validate the authenticity of the number you are dialing. These scams attempt to create a sense of urgency regarding the need to complete the transaction quickly, while also creating the illusion that the Pastor or staff member is not available to do it themselves. Anyone who feels that they have been the victim of this type of scam is urged to contact their local police department or report the scam to the New Jersey Cyber Crime Unit at (609) 584-5051, ext. 5664 or online at   https://www.njsp.org/division/investigations/cyber-crimes.shtml.