$1.6M stolen from UMC regional body through cyberattack
More than $1.6 million in funds was reportedly stolen from a regional body of The United Methodist Church by criminals posing as bank representatives.
The UMC New England Conference is working with authorities to investigate a cybersecurity incident that occured on Aug. 5.
The money was stolen from the conference’s operating account by individuals who posed as bank representatives, according to an Aug. 13 letter from New England Bishop Thomas Bickerton.
When the individuals had gained access to the conference’s online banking system, they successfully completed multiple wire transfers of church funds to assorted global accounts.
“We are working closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Secret Service, our insurance carrier, and specially assigned legal counsel with expertise in serious cybercrimes. This investigation is active and continuing,” wrote Bickerton.
“Internally, our team is working to immediately review all financial and staff policies and procedures to bring greater awareness of what to watch for and how to prevent any further crimes from taking place.”
As of Bickerton's Aug. 13 letter, around $200,000 had been recovered amid the investigation.
“[W]e continue to maintain a deep commitment to ensuring that our Annual Conference will meet all of its financial obligations and conduct our ongoing ministry uninterrupted," the bishop stated.
“The events of last week are a devasting [sic] blow that has shaken the Finance Team and our entire Conference Staff to their cores,” he added. “Yet we remain committed to the difficult work that lies ahead.”
In a follow-up statement last week, Bickerton reported that “we are not alone in facing this type of crime,” explaining that three companies experienced a similar theft the same week the conference was attacked.
“As the online world has grown increasingly evil and sophisticated in the manner in which that evil is carried out, my sense of helplessness has increased,” the bishop wrote last week. “It has left me with nothing more to offer than an earnest plea that God will help us find our way through this tragedy.”
Bickerton compared the situation the conference was dealing with to Nehemiah 2, which documents the calling of the Old Testament prophet Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
“The story of Nehemiah reminds us that rebuilding broken walls takes more than just prayer and contemplation, more than just course correction and deep analysis,” Bickerton added. “Rebuilding what has been lost requires leadership and shared responsibility.”
According to a 2020 report published by Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, as much as $52.6 billion, or about 6.5% of all funds given by Christians worldwide that year, “was lost to fraud and embezzlement.”
