Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Please be aware that this past Friday, at around 1:19pm, a phishing scam was issued from Deacon Brad's email account. The attack was stopped within minutes, but in that short time the scammer was able to email blast hundreds of people with a short, generic-sounding email message containing a link to a fraudulent Adobe pdf file.

If you receive a suspicious-looking email, do not respond, click any links, or download any files, no matter how legitimate the sender address appears to be. Delete the message immediately.

If you did accidentally download an attached file, don't panic: simply don't open it, and delete it from your system.

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Furthermore, at this time we are also seeing an increase in another type of email and text message scam. In this case, scammers will impersonate clergy and ask for money, gift cards, or other forms of payment for a vague or "urgent" need. These requests are NOT legitimate.

If you receive a suspicious email or text claiming to be from one of our priests or parish staff requesting money, gift cards, or favors:

❌ Do not respond

❌ Do not click any links

❌ Delete the message immediately

As scammers become increasingly sophisticated, these messages may sound personal, urgent, or even caring. When in doubt, pause and verify before taking action. Parish staff will never request money, gift cards, or emergency assistance through email or text message.

If you are unsure about a message you’ve received, please contact the parish office directly using the phone number or email listed on our official website.

Thank you for your attention to this matter!

The Staff of Our Lady of Lourdes