Palmerton police warn about scam

Parishioners of Sacred Heart Church in Palmerton who receive phone calls asking for solicitations should be wary.

It’s a scam, according to the Palmerton Police Department, which posted on its Facebook page Tuesday afternoon that someone is phoning parishioners of the church asking for donations to benefit Father Campion.

“We received word today that unknown persons are phoning parishioners of Sacred Heart Church and asking for donations to benefit Father (William) Campion. These calls are not legitimate, if anyone receives such a call do not give the caller any information, and merely hang up.”

Contacted Tuesday afternoon, Father Campion said the church had two people over the weekend saying they got an email solicitation from Father William asking for a $500 gift card to be sent immediately.

Campion said upon learning of the scam, he contacted police, who said they would post the information on their Facebook page.

“I’m putting something in our bulletin,” Campion said. “There’s no diocesan priest that would ever solicit funds by email or text message, and if they get a text message they’re not sure of, they should always verify it.”