A cyber thief has targeted a Murfreesboro church, scamming the parish out of thousands of dollars.
According to a Murfreesboro police report, a secretary at St. Rose Catholic Church transferred nearly $20,000 to an account she thought belonged to the Priest of the church. Turns out, it was an account linked to a home in Worton, Maryland.
Authorities said someone hacked Father Nicholas Allen's email address. On February 18, the hacker sent an email to the secretary asking for $19,750. The secretary transferred the money to the Maryland account later that day.
"Murfreesboro is a large, dynamic parish growing just like rest of Rutherford County,." said Rick Musacchio of the Catholic Diocese. "To lose $20,000 certainly has an impact on the parish."
As soon as church officials realized the money was stolen, they notified the Murfreesboro Police Department.
Officials with the diocese said they frequently receive spam emails, but they are waiting for the investigation to be completed before deciding whether to add more web security.
"We'll certainly be looking and seeing [if] changes are necessary," Musacchio added.
News Channel 5 called the phone number linked to the account where the stolen money was deposited. The phone line was disconnected.
Murfreesboro police declined to answer questions about how close they are to identifying who the suspect may be. No arrests have been made.
At this point, the diocese is warning all parishes to be careful and to speak directly to the Priest or to the diocese if they suspect anything suspicious.
"There are constant cautions about email issues" said Musacchio. "We just have to be vigilant about it."
It's unclear if the church will be able to reclaim any of the stolen money.
