Masonic Scam Warning (posted from new zealand)
Dear Brethren
This circular is sent out to warn you about a series of scams that are currently occurring out of the Philippines. In all cases a Brother has been approached by someone claiming to be a Freemason or the wife of a Freemason who is visiting the Philippines or passing through the Philippines in transit to another location and who finds themselves in a state of distress and requiring financial assistance.
As examples:-
One of our Lodges was approached supposedly on behalf of a lodge member who was genuinely in the Philippines and he was meant to be in trouble as he had no money etc. The lodge was obviously concerned for their brother and was getting ready to send the money to him as requested when the brother in question happened to clear his emails and got straight in touch with them to say it was not true and that he was fine.
A second contact was made supposedly from a Filipino brother seeking money to come to NZ so he could visit the family of a member of the Irish Constitution whose wife was in hospital (all of which was true) but the request for funds was a scam.
A senior brother in Scotland was contacted by someone claiming to be the Grand Master of South Australia who was stuck in the Philippines whilst on transit to visit the Grand Master in Scotland and who needed money to clear visa issues. The correct names of the MW brethren were used.
A number of other such scams have occurred usually by phone and by someone with a very realistic accent. Real and true names and facts are used and it is not known exactly how these are being obtained other than from websites and emails from computers infected with Trojans and viruses.
Should you receive any approach for assistance from anyone overseas please refer them to the Grand Lodge of the country they claim to be in or to me here at Grand Lodge Office. Individual Freemasons and individual Lodges should not attempt to assist any brother in distress overseas. Grand Lodge Office has many overseas contacts who can assist truly distressed brethren in other countries if needed and we are far better placed to identify scams from reality particularly where the scams are as sophisticated as these latest attempts have been.