Warning: Scam Email/Text Attack on NCPC members & friends

We wish to inform our community that on February 22, 2022, we identified scammers waging a fraud campaign targeting members and friends of NCPC. Again on September 1, 2023, another attempt scamming attempt was launched targeting our members and friends. 


Through a sophisticated phishing email, they successfully influenced a church member to send them a PDF copy of our membership directory. Since then, they have engaged in a comprehensive and sustained campaign of fraudulent emails and text messages. Most of these claim to be from Pastor Kurt, initially seeking a conversation with a follow-up request to provide gift cards. However, some phishing emails are being perpetrated in the name of fellow members of the church. It began with emails and has developed into phone text messages as well.  

In the sections that follow you will find helpful resources to guide you through this: 

  • Suggestions for what to do if you have been contacted and/or surrendered information
  • Helpful tips for reporting fraud to the authorities and protecting your information and identity
  • A running list of alerts sent through our email alert system.  If you have not received these emails, it means you are not signed up for church communications.  To sign up, click here and follow the links to sign up for the weekly Connections email.


Please be advised of these facts, and share them with your fellow church members: 

  • GIFT CARD REQUESTS: Pastor Kurt will NEVER contact you to buy gift cards for any reason, no matter how sympathetic the cause.  Response to any legitimate need will follow proper procedures, and these do not involve asking members to purchase gift cards.
  • PASTOR KURT EMAILS: Pastor Kurt's email account remains secure.  For all incoming emails, read the "From" line.  If it is coming from Pastor Kurt, it will originate from "kurt@northcreekpres.org."  Any misspelling of this address or a different address should be considered fraudulent.
  • PASTOR KURT TEXTS: Pastor Kurt does not openly share his cell phone number or use it as a primary device in his ministry, preferring to reserve it for pastoral emergencies.  That being said, all of Pastor Kurt's phone number area codes are local to Mill Creek.  Any alternate area code reveals a fraudulent text.
  • CHURCH DATA & EMAIL IS SECURE: All information security systems at the church are currently secure.  It's important to note that the information scammers have is not from hacking our security, but from "phishing" our membership for information.  To keep our system secure, DO NOT under any circumstance send login access information to someone else, even if you think you know who you're talking to.  Direct them to the proper authority within the church that distributes access.

Official Guidance Q & A

What do I do if I receive an EMAIL purporting to be from Pastor Kurt, requesting a favor or asking me to purchase gift cards?

DO NOT REPLY!  Forward the email to Kcristell Pena, our Administrative Manager at Church@northcreekpres.org, then delete it.  DO spread the word among your network of friends in the church, especially those you think might be most vulnerable to this kind of fraud.


What do I do if I receive a TEXT MESSAGE purporting to be from Pastor Kurt, requesting a favor or asking me to purchase gift cards?

DO NOT REPLY!  Report it in an email to to Kcristell Pena, our Administrative Manager at Church@northcreekpres.org,  sharing the phone number and sending the text.  If you know how to take a screenshot, attach this to the email.  Block sender.  Report it to the FTC

 (https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/).  Delete the text.  DO spread the word among your network of friends in the church, especially those you think might be most vulnerable to this kind of fraud.


What information do the scammers have in their possession?

The scammers have a copy of our church directory, which includes names, addresses, emails, and phone numbers.  It is possible that they may have obtained more personal information by "phishing" for it from members.  This began when scammers initiated a phishing campaign that was successful in obtaining a digital copy of our church directory. 


What makes this threat different from others we've seen in the past?

Scammers are currently engaged in a sustained and systematic attempt to obtain gift cards and personal information by contacting NCPC members and friends under the guise of Pastor Kurt and other church members.  The number of people contacted - currently in the hundreds - far exceeds any previous threat we have faced.

Reporting Fraud and Protecting Information & Identity

Click Here to read the official report of the incident to the members of North Creek Presbyterian Church


What resources can I access to help me deal with this threat and protect my identity and security?