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The warning was issued by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office on Friday, March 10, which said that the scams consist of fraudulent solicitors asking parishioners to donate to their local houses of worship.
Usually, the scenario will consist of religious victims being sent an email or text message stating that their house of worship is collecting donations in the form of cash or gift cards, authorities said.
The Sheriff's Office gave the following tips to avoid falling victim to the scam:
- Do not click any links or use phone numbers included with the fraudulent emails or messages as they could connect to the fraudster. It is better to verify them by contacting a house of worship directly;
- If the message comes from an email address that is not from a house of worship but is instead a generic Gmail or American Online domain, it may not be genuine;
- Do not trust any messages that use a manufactured urgency to solicit donations, such as needing money to comfort the ill in hospitals;
- Do not trust the message if the "clergy" promises repayment at a later date;
- Do not trust the message if it asks to receive money or gift card numbers by text or email rather than direct delivery to the house of worship;
- Always directly deliver donations to your house of worship.
So far, the Sheriff's Office has not heard any complaints within Putnam County in connection to the scam, but it is still advising residents to be careful.
Anyone with questions or who feels they may have fallen victim to a scam can call the Sheriff's Office at 845-225-4300.
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