The FTC has issued an advisory on a new imposter scam variant in which scammers are pretending to be religious leaders, such as rabbis, priests, imams, etc., seeking gift card contributions for worthy causes. These forged communications most commonly arrive via email messages, but may also arrive via text messages or phone calls. Scammers typically request the purchase of iTunes, Amazon or Google Play gift cards and then request the individual gift card numbers and pins on the back of each card. Once they’ve obtained this information, the value of the gift cards is stolen.
Please be reminded that phone numbers and email addresses may be spoofed, so a communication you receive may appear to come from someone who has not sent it. When you receive an unexpected communication with an urgent request or a request for sensitive information, it is recommended that you contact the sender via a trusted means of communication, such as an NYU Directory phone number to confirm. Further, If you or someone that you know has fallen victim to this type of scam, it is recommended that you contact the company who sold the gift card(s) to report it. You can also file a complaint with the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.
For more information, please see: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2019/07/worshipers-targeted-gift-card-scam