Catholic Church in Singapore warns against falling victim to conmen posing as priests

SINGAPORE – Beware urgent requests for money transfers and pleas for help that appear to come from a local parish priest. He may actually be a conman posing as a member of the clergy.

The Roman Catholic Archbishop’s Communication Office in Singapore on Feb 6 said it has seen a rise in scammers targeting the Catholic community.

Scammers, for instance, used the names and titles of the clergy and church leaders to create fake accounts and e-mail addresses, and people were also being approached on messaging apps.

In this scam tactic, conmen use a priest’s name and photo to start a private chat. They then ask for “urgent help” or “discreet assistance” with a charitable project, and ask for gift cards or bank transfers, the Church said.

These requests often come with a sense of urgency or a plea for secrecy.

The Church said: “Please remember that our priests and church leaders will not contact you via private message to ask for money or financial favours.”

People can stay safe by verifying e-mail address, and by making sure official e-mails from the archdiocese use the @catholic.org.sg domain name.

Anyone who receives a strange message from a church leader should not reply, and should call the parish office or the chancery to verify the request.

The Catholic community should also be cautious on chat apps, and remember that official updates from the Church will come via verified CatholicSG channels. The Church does not use private individual accounts to solicit funds.

Suspicious activity should be reported, and people should block the sender and report such incidents.

In 2025, the Catholic Church observed a rise in the number of fraudulent e-mails claiming to be from the head of the Catholic Church in Singapore, Cardinal William Goh.

In April 2024, ahead of a visit by the late Pope Francis to Singapore in September 2024, the archdiocese warned of

phishing scams related to the visit

.