What are the red flags of this scam?

An email from your minister's name arrives but the email address is slightly different from the usual one — check the exact domain and username carefully • The message asks you to urgently and quietly purchase Google Play, Apple, or other gift cards for a 'needy' congregation member • You are asked to send the gift card number and PIN immediately via email or SMS • The tone is warm and personal but comes from an unknown address you have not seen before • You are asked to keep the transaction confidential or not mention it to other church staff

What should I do if this happened to me?

Before buying anything, call or text your minister on a number you already have — do not reply to the suspicious email • Check the sender's email address character by character — scammers change firstname_lastname to firstname.lastname or swap a letter • Remember: no legitimate minister, charity, or church will ever ask you to buy gift cards on their behalf via email • If you have already purchased the cards and shared the numbers, contact your bank immediately — recovery is very unlikely but report it • Alert other members of your congregation and church leadership to the attempt so they are not deceived • Report to Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam or ReportCyber at https://www.cyber.gov.au/report.

MEDIUM government impersonation Last reported: 26 Oct 2026 Share

An email pretending to be your minister asks you to buy gift cards for a needy parishioner

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. Scammers find church leaders names online, create a near-identical email address, and email congregation members claiming the minister urgently needs gift cards bought for a vulnerable parishioner. Victims share card numbers and PINs; the funds are instantly redeemed. Active in every Australian state and territory since 2021.

Scammers find church leaders names online, create a near-identical email address, and email congregation members claiming the minister urgently needs gift cards bought for a vulnerable parishioner. Victims share card numbers and PINs; the funds are instantly redeemed. Active in every Australian state and territory since 2021.

Also known as: church minister gift card scam Australia, pastor email gift card scam, congregation gift card scam, church impersonation gift card Australia, rector gift card scam

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.

What to do right now

1 Before buying anything, call or text your minister on a number you already have — do not reply to the suspicious email
2 Check the sender's email address character by character — scammers change firstname_lastname to firstname.lastname or swap a letter
3 Remember: no legitimate minister, charity, or church will ever ask you to buy gift cards on their behalf via email
4 If you have already purchased the cards and shared the numbers, contact your bank immediately — recovery is very unlikely but report it
5 Alert other members of your congregation and church leadership to the attempt so they are not deceived
6 Report to Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam or ReportCyber at https://www.cyber.gov.au/report.

Red flags

⚠ An email from your minister's name arrives but the email address is slightly different from the usual one — check the exact domain and username carefully
⚠ The message asks you to urgently and quietly purchase Google Play, Apple, or other gift cards for a 'needy' congregation member
⚠ You are asked to send the gift card number and PIN immediately via email or SMS
⚠ The tone is warm and personal but comes from an unknown address you have not seen before
⚠ You are asked to keep the transaction confidential or not mention it to other church staff

Known variants

Phone-call variant: caller poses as a doctor, optometrist, or old friend and asks the victim to buy Apple or Google Play gift cards at a supermarket and read out the codes. Targeting older Australians from multicultural communities in NSW since September 2026; victims lost $7,000–$9,000.

Last seen: 10/26/2026

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Known variants

Sources