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Hoaxes, Scams, and Unauthorized Solicitations

If you become aware of a hoax or scam of any sort regarding Masonry, please let us know. Often we cannot actually stop the scam, but we can at least make other aware through this website. E-mail us.

7/9/2012

There have been a few reports of the following scam... a young male that said he was a Mason. He said that they were doing their annual drive to get sick children out of the hospital for the summer break. He did not specify a hospital, he just said Spokane hospitalized children. He said that all he needed was a two month commitment of $36 a month. He said that he would send him all the paperwork that he needed. The guy I spoke with said that the man was very pushing and when he wouldn’t commit on an amount he hung up on him.
There is no caller ID.

3/30/2012

There is an email being sent to members of our jurisdiction purporting to be from WB John Ackerman from Longview Lodge stating he is stranded in England and needs financial help. THIS IS A SCAM.

 

7/21/2011

The Grand Lodge of Virginia has been made aware of an e-mail scam that has apparently been circulating recently concerning “The Launch of The Masonic Trade Alliance." Please disregard anything having to do with this or any similar types of e-mails.

 

11/24/2009   

There is an email circulating asking for assistance. The email contains a 4-page pitch, and it is signed, An American Son, Cecil Little. From what we can tell, this is NOT genuine.

 

7/30/2009

We are receiving numerous calls & emails from folks who are receiving phone solicitations from folks claiming to be Masons. Some are from Olympus Lodge, No. 45; some will not identify a Lodge. As the Grand Lodge of Washington does NOT solicit in this way, we consider all such calls to be scams.

 

Received Wednesday, April 22, 2009

From: Paul Lewis
Subject: Freemason Mailing List

Greetings,

I found your address on the web, and thought you might be interested in purchasing an emailing list of Freemasons organized by the following:

Demolay
Eastern Star
US Grand Lodge
International Grand Lodge
Grotto
Scottish Rite
Shrine
York Rite

In total there are approximately 25,000 email addresses with a price of only 50.00. If you have any questions about the list, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for your time,

Paul Lewis

 

I received this information 11/3/2008:

November 2008 - "We received an e-mail claiming to be sent from the Freemason Society and offering a grant.  I just thought you should know there is a hoax out claiming someone has been chosen as the 2008 beneficiary of a grant.  They are saying it is worth 1/2 a million dollars."

August 2007 - We have received numerous calls regarding calls supposedly coming from Lodges soliciting funds. Once again, this is a scam. Please spread the word among all of your friends, Masons and non-Masons, that Masons do NOT solicit funds this way.

June 2007 - Spam e-mails are being sent to Washington Masons by the Dish Network offering them a special deal on satellite TV packages. This is in no way endorsed, sponsored, or supported by the Grand Lodge.

August 2006 - A woman has been attempting to scam the Seattle Service Bureau and several area Lodges, requesting charity assistance. She is from Wyoming, and goes by several last names. Contact the Grand Lodge office for further information.

February 2005 - A man claiming to be an Entered Apprentice Mason from California has been able to convince several Lodges to provide assistance. He says he has a wife and 3 children and needs assistance. This man is a fraud. The Lodge he cites is not a Lodge in the Grand Lodge of California.

January 2005 - There appears to be a new internet scam making the rounds, purporting to be awarding grants from the "Freemason Society of Winchester Hampshire." PLEASE spread the word that this is a scam, has absolutely nothing to do with Freemasonry.

November 2004 - Unauthorized Solicitation. We have received several complaints that a person claiming to be a member of Olympus Lodge, No. 45, (Prince Hall) is asking Masons to contribute money for various purposes. This is illegal, no matter what Lodge (or Grand Lodge) the individual purports to be from. Please get the individual's name and contact information and report to Grand Lodge. Do Not Contribute. There have been other reports of phone solicitations by an individual claiming to be collecting money for the Masons, but this person hangs up when questioned. Please be aware of these incidents.