In June, we received reports from some adoration chapels that a scammer sent fraudulent text messages to adorers claiming to be their pastor.
These chapels all shared the following traits:
- They had the Directory page enabled.
- They were not using the adorer approval workflow. New adorers could register for an account and immediately access the Directory page.
- They had an active adorer who recently registered for an adorer account, didn't sign up for an hour, and had a strange combination of name, email address, phone number, and/or mailing address.
We responded by requiring the adorer approval workflow if the Directory page is enabled.
However, recently, we received a few more reports of the same scam. We don't believe there was a data breach, and our access tests are all passing (this is a good thing). In speaking with these chapels, it seems that even with the adorer approval workflow enabled, some administrators and captains were in the habit of approving new adorer accounts without vetting them.
To prevent "easy access" to adorer phone numbers, we've temporarily disabled the Directory page for regular adorers. Admins and captains can still access this page.
If you have any questions or concerns about this issue, please let us know.