An increasing number of social media accounts posing as Bishop Earl Fernandes are targeting individuals online and requesting money.
“We were made aware of several social media accounts that were impersonating him, asking people directly for money, or to do personal favors, directly through messages,” said Andrew Zuk, the associate director for the Office of Communications.
“We’ve reported it. We’ve asked anybody who sees these accounts to report them and to not click any links that they might have.”
The fake social media accounts appear to be targeting older adults or retirees, he said. Actors also often prey on individuals with perceived less technology experience.
Zuk said social media accounts impersonating Bishop Fernandes have posted “general, positive Christian messages.” Sometimes, accounts will send such messages directly to an individual.
Accounts posing as the bishop might also send individuals online a “friend request,” Zuk said.
“They will hook people in by sending a general, positive message, and then, after that, saying, ‘I need money now, personally; here’s this link to gift cards. Could you send me a wire transfer?’
“Typically, it’s in the thousands-of-dollars range, and it’s a message of urgency, which is typical among fraudulent accounts. They’ll make a sense of urgency – a false sense of urgency – to whomever they’re trying to scam so that person acts quickly and doesn’t have enough time to think about it.”
Individuals who encounter such accounts online are encouraged to flag and report them. Facebook offers a reporting function, Zuk said, that enables a social media user to report another user’s account profile.
Facebook offers several reporting options. These include reporting an account for being fake, spam, presenting false information or inciting harm to other people.
Bishop Fernandes’ official accounts online are Facebook.com/Bishop.Earl.Fernandes and Instagram.com/BishopEarlKFernandes.
The Diocese of Columbus announced the bishop’s official accounts on the “Columbus Catholic” Facebook and Instagram pages – Facebook.com/cbuscatholic and Instagram.com/columbuscatholics – so individuals can verify them. The official Diocese of Columbus social media accounts will post messages from the bishop’s official accounts on their pages.
Zuk offered tips to help recognize fake social media accounts online. He encouraged social media users to check for incorrect spelling and grammar, and check if a person’s name on a social media account is spelled correctly.
“I want to emphasize that fraudulent accounts that are impersonating somebody like Bishop Fernandes will typically pressure somebody to take action, whether it’s giving personal information, asking for money or meeting in person,” he said.
Official accounts, he said, will not directly ask an individual online to click a link, request thousands of dollars or a wire transfer from them, or ask to meet publicly in a short amount of time. He said official accounts will also not make unusual requests.
He encouraged individuals to report such accounts and contact the Diocese of Columbus in the event of receiving an odd request online from an individual who appears to be a diocesan employee.
In the event that threats are made online, individuals should dial 911.
