From: Neil MacCarthy, Director, Public Relations & Communications
Date: March 1, 2024
Re: Fraudulent Facebook and E-mail accounts - Archbishop Francis Leo
We have been made aware that a Facebook account and e-mail communication purporting to come from Archbishop Leo are circulating to parishes and members of the Catholic community throughout the archdiocese.
To be clear, Archbishop Leo does not have a Facebook account. Any official e-mail correspondence should come from an archtoronto.org email address. The fraudulent e-mails come from a gmail account and are similar to those we have seen in the past where priests or bishops have been impersonated.
You may wish to communicate this to your community through a suggested announcement below. Thank you for your ongoing co-operation.
Fraudulent e-mail and social media communication - Warning
In recent days, a Facebook account and e-mail communication claiming to come from Archbishop Leo have been circulating through the Catholic community. Archbishop Leo does not have a Facebook account and any official e-mail correspondence should come from an archtoronto.org e-mail address. If you receive fraudulent correspondence, please delete the content from your inbox.
Sadly, we have seen this type of fraudulent activity target priests and bishops on a regular basis. Please review the e-mail address on your correspondence and be mindful of these impersonation accounts.