It's good for Christians to have generous, charitable hearts. However, it's important for them to exercise caution and wise judgment especially in this day and age when scams are becoming more and more prevalent.
Paula Dupre did just that after a scammer posing as Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church contacted her through Facebook and asked for money, according to local news station ABC13.
The scammer first asked if Dupre is a true Christian and whether or not she believes in Jesus Christ. Dupre did not hesitate in replying "yes."
However, Dupre's warning signs shot up after the scammer told her that a big Texas donor had donated $35,000 to Osteen Ministries, and that cash could be hers. All Dupre had to do before receiving the money was to send all her money to a charitable institution.
"I had to send what I had to an orphanage in Delaware," Dupre said. "So I thought that was kind of bizarre."
Dupre knew right then and there that Osteen would never ask for such a thing, so she provided the scammer an angry reply. "How about you give me the money first and I won't report your [expletive] to authorities? I am going to the news with this because I believe the real Joel Osteen would not conduct business this way!" she said.
When The Christian Post sought Lakewood Church's comment regarding the matter, the megachurch sadly confirmed that such schemes are nothing new. "Unfortunately, there are some on social media who masquerade as charitable organizations for the purpose of fraudulently seeking donations," the church said in a statement. "We take this matter seriously and believe it is important for people to know that Lakewood Church never contacts individuals through social media for the purpose of soliciting donations."
The scammer who tried to swindle Dupre of her hard-earned money has taken down their Facebook account. Still, Dupre hopes her story will open the eyes of other unsuspecting victims. "I'm just worried that the elderly, who don't have much money and might not be very savvy on Facebook, will fall victim to it and send money to get the money," she said.
