A Word about Online & Phone Scams...

Unfortunately, we live in an age of online and phone scams.  The church is not immune to e-mail or phone scams.  While at Immanuel such scams have been infrequent, they do happen.  When they happen, they create confusion and can ultimately damage the reputation of the church.  Here are some general tips to help you determine if something may be a scam.

1. The church staff will NEVER request money either through e-mail or by phone.
2. The church staff will NEVER request your social security number, through any means, with one exception: The pastor must receive social security numbers for couples who are going to be married by him.  This is for marriage license verification.  After the wedding, the information is shredded.
3. The church staff will NEVER request your banking account number or credit/debit card number through e-mail or by phone.  All checks received for donations are deposited, but NO COPIES are made of the checks.  Obviously, our online giving platform (VANCO) requests such information.  The church staff DOES NOT have access to that information retained by VANCO.
4. For E-mail:  Make sure you have the correct e-mail address in your address books for e-mail.  The pastor's e-mail address is: [email protected].  The church e-mail address is: [email protected].  Always check the actual e-mail address to see who the sender is.  If it's not one of those two e-mail addresses, it's not from the church staff.
5. For Phone:  Make sure you have the correct phone numbers in your contacts on your phone.  The pastor's phone number is:  419-236-4612.  The church phone number is:419-222-2541.  If someone is calling or texting you, claiming to be a church staff member, but it is from a different number than those two phone numbers, it's not from the church staff.

For more information, check out the Federal Trade Commission posting about phone scams HERE.