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AUBURN, Mass. – The Auburn Police Department is warning residents of an Internet scam that tells people a church will give them $850,000.
A potential scam victim reported two suspicious emails to police on Wednesday, Detective Sgt. Jeffrey Lourie said.
The scam email tells recipients they can receive a large inheritance from St. Joseph’s Church in Ougadougou, Burkina Faso, in Africa. The email tells the individual to send his or her ID, home address and phone numbers.
The Auburn Police Department is concerned that residents may be tricked to believe that the church is related to the St. Joseph’s Church in Auburn, according to Lourie.
“Because it has this church in the email, people might think it’s legitimate,” Lourie said. “If you receive anything over the Internet like this, do not respond to it and do not wire money overseas.”
Lourie said potential victims should contact police if they receive such emails.
“We want to inform and educate the public, preventing them from falling victims to these fraudulent scams,” Lourie said.
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