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Woman Out Hundreds of Dollars After Pastor Impersonation

Wednesday, 20 March 2019 11:19

A local woman is out hundreds of dollars after falling victim to an email scam from someone who pretended to be her pastor.

STRATFORD - A scam artist in Stratford impersonated a pastor to dupe a local woman out of hundreds of dollars in iTunes gift cards. 

Police say the woman received an email from someone claiming to be Reverend Richard Bester from St. Joseph's Catholic Church. The email asked the woman to make a donation to the church by purchasing several hundred dollars worth of iTunes gift cards. The woman became suspicious when a second request was made after her initial donation. 

Police contacted the church and confirmed that the pastor did not send out this email and it was indeed a fraud. Police say several other members of the church received similar emails. 

This incident is similar to one that occurred earlier this year, in January, in which it was believed that emails from the church had been hacked into and information obtained. Police are warning the public to be cautious and to never send money or gift cards to anyone online without verifying the authenticity first. It is highly recommended that individuals have a face-to-face conversation with the person they believe they have received the request from prior to forwarding any money. 

The Stratford Police would like to encourage anyone who has been victim of a fraud to contact them at 519-271-4141 to file a report. Information regarding any type of fraud should also be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Reports can be made on-line at www.antifraudcentre.ca or by telephone at 1-888-495-8501.

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