Boardman police are investigating a fraud case after a local couple lost $2,000 to a scammer pretending to be a church leader. On Thursday, a man reported to the Boardman Police Department that his wife had been tricked the previous day by a fake email.

The victim, who serves on her church's executive board in Cornersburg, received an email that appeared to be from her pastor. The message asked for help with a private matter, requesting her to buy 10 gift cards for $200 each. The scammer claimed the cards would be used as gifts for other church board members.

Believing the request was real, the woman purchased $1,000 worth of gift cards from a local Target and another $1,000 worth from a Walgreens. She then sent photos of the back of the cards to the person in the email. She realized it was a scam shortly after and contacted the actual pastor, who confirmed the email was fake.

Eight of the 10 gift cards were used by the thief before they could be stopped. Detectives are investigating.

Government agencies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warn that gift cards are for gifts, not for making payments. Official sources suggest the following tips to avoid similar scams:

  • Be skeptical of urgent requests: Scammers often create a false sense of urgency to make you act before you can think clearly.
  • Verify the sender: If you get an email or text from a friend, boss, or pastor asking for money, contact them using a phone number you already know is correct. Do not use the contact information provided in the suspicious message.
  • Check the full email address: Scammers often use names that look correct but come from different email providers or have a single letter changed.
  • Know that legitimate groups do not use gift cards for payment: No real business, church, or government agency will ever ask you to pay them with gift cards.
  • Never share card numbers or PINs: If someone asks you to send a photo of the back of a gift card or read the numbers over the phone, it is a scam.

If you believe you have been scammed, contact the company that issued the gift card immediately to see if the funds can be frozen. You should also report the incident to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.