Diocese alerts parishioners to weekly envelopes scam

Catholic parishioners in east Antrim are advised their weekly contributions envelopes are not being collected during the Covid-19 crisis.

It follows reports in Belfast of individuals calling with vulnerable people and offering to take their envelopes to the church and also to do their shopping but wanting cash up front.

In a statement, the Diocese of Down and Connor said: “The Diocese of Down and Connor has become aware of a fraudulent scam targeting vulnerable people within parishes.

“These fraudulent scams are criminal and have been reported by the diocese to the PSNI.

“The Diocese of Down and Connor would encourage all people, and particularly families of vulnerable adults, to be vigilant to such criminal activity. All such unsolicited approaches should be reported to the PSNI.

“In line with the government’s ‘Stay at Home’ and social distancing policies, parish envelopes will not be collected at this time.

“Parishioners who choose to use their weekly envelopes as normal, should retain their envelopes and, once government policy allows, the parish will arrange to safely collect them.”

--

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.