Scammers disguise as local pastor

Fraudsters disguised as a local pastor looking to raise funds for cancer patients contacted locals over the phone and email to deceive them into sending funds last week.

In a June 24 Facebook post, Yoakum’s St. Joseph Catholic Church urged locals to be wary of the scam artists’ attempts.

“Father Matthew has not sent any text messages or emails requesting help or a favor for the parish or himself,” read Friday’s post. “The messages have involved your purchase of Apple cards claiming they are to help cancer patients! These are ALL scams! They are coming from false phone numbers and false email addresses.”

One commenter responded to the church’s warning with a screenshot of text messages from the fraudsters, which displayed them requesting gift card access codes worth $500 be sent via text. 

“It’s unfortunate; what a way to seek money. Especially the cause, since they used cancer patients,” said Rev. Matthew H. Huehlefeld June 27. “I’m never going to ask for money for the church or a cause over text message.”

Huehlefeld said he had heard other local churches have faced similar issues and added that scammers attempted a similar scheme with his name about a year ago.

“Don’t give out any personal information over the phone,” said Yoakum Police Chief Karl Van Slooten as a scam prevention method.

The Attorney General of Texas Office’s website explains that fraud attempts have become increasingly complex and aim to mislead victims through various techniques. 

“When you contact a business, you know who's on the other end of the line. But when someone contacts you first, you can't be certain they're telling the truth,” reads the attorney general’s website. “You don't know if they are whom they say they are. And remember, email addresses and caller ID information can be faked.

Find more information on scam techniques and prevention tips online at Texasttorneygeneral.gov.