The archbishop of Cape Town has warned parishioners that scamsters are using his name or those of other clergy to defraud people.
Archbishop Stephen Brislin said that “an e-mail scam is being circulated to parishioners using my name or the parish priest’s name as the ‘sender’”.
“There have been instances when unsuspecting parishioners have forwarded money to the scamsters, believing they are helping the parish priest,” the archbishop said in a letter addressed to clergy and religious, asking that it be circulated among parishioners.
Archbishop Brislin noted that the scam e-mails can be identified. “If you look carefully at the e-mail address from which it is sent, under the priest’s name you will see the scamster’s original name and e-mail address.”
He advised people not to press “reply” to e-mails which appear to be coming from him or priests but to “type out the correct e-mail address as you have it in your records”.
“Should you feel uncertain about any e-mail you or your parishioners receive from me or the chancery, or from any priest for that matter, please verify with the respective secretaries that such e-mails are genuine,” Archbishop Brislin wrote.
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