As they were preparing for the holy week, several members of the catholic community in Mumbai were caught unawares by fraudsters posing as priests and requesting financial help via UPI payment.
According to Father Nigel Barrett, Director of Communications with the Archdiocese of Bombay, the fraudsters created fake social media accounts of the priests and have been requesting financial help from users on online platforms.
Scams have been reported across Mumbai
The scams have been reported across Mumbai, Father Barrett said.
"The incidents have been taking place for two weeks now, he said, adding that around 12 priests have come forward with complaints that they were targeted," he said.
"Several people have fallen prey to the scam and have made the payments. It would be wise for people to call the concerned priests and verify the facts with them before going ahead with such transactions," Father Barrett said.
"We have also issued a circular on our social media platforms warning people against the scam," he added.
Instagram users report fake accounts
After the circular was issued, several Instagram users reported the fake accounts.
"I received request from following misleading account created by the name of Fr Kelvin I reported that account. Thank you Archdiocese of Bombay to bring us notice about this serious act," an Instagram user wrote.
"I got a fake message in the name of Fr Joseph U.K," another remarked.
A complaint has been lodged with the Mumbai Cyber Crime Cell. However action is yet to be taken, Father Barrett said.
