What is a Scam Email?

Contact the Parish Office if you are unsure of an email!

Recently, a parishioner shared an email they received where someone was pretending to be Father Roy.  The email has been copied below:


Good Morning

Today I pray that the blessings that come with the morning be yours. I pray that the work of your hand is blessed too. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace. Amen!

I have a request I need you to handle discreetly. I am currently busy in a prayer session, no calls so just reply my email.

Rev. Roy Quesea, JCL
St. Joseph Church
59 Main Street
High Bridge, NJ 08829

The above email was sent from: mailrev728@gmail.com. This is not Father Roy's email address!!! Also notice the wording: "just reply my email"~doesn't sound right!


The above is a complete scam email! Once you reply to the email the following happens:

  1. Replying signals to the attacker that a real human reads and interacts with the inbox.
  2. Your email address is immediately flagged as a "high-value" target.
  3. You will experience a massive spike in spam, phishing attempts, and robo-emails from other criminal networks.
  4. Once they know you respond, scammers will attempt personalized psychology tricks.


What to do if you receive a suspicious email?

  1. Check the sender's actual address: Click or hover over the sender's display name to see the exact email address. Look for subtle misspellings.
  2. Look for forced urgency: Be wary of phrases like "Act Now," "Account Suspended," or "Immediate Action Required."
  3. Review the greeting: Generic greetings like "Dear Customer" or "Dear Friend" usually point to a mass-produced scam.
  4. Do not click links: Even "Unsubscribe" links in scam emails can lead to malicious websites or download malware.
  5. Never open attachments: Files ending in .exe , .scr , .zip , or even unexpected .pdf and .docx files can instantly infect your device.
  6. Report and block: Use your email provider's built-in tools to click "Report Phishing" or "Report Spam", then block the sender.
  7. Delete it: Once reported, permanently delete the email from your trash folder to avoid accidental clicks later.