Someone claiming to be a missionary I know is stranded abroad and needs a wire transfer urgently. What should I do?
Treat this as a likely account takeover or impersonation scam and verify independently by contacting the missionary or their sending organization through previously known contact details before sending any money.
Last reviewed: 5 July 2026
Explanation
This scam typically begins when a scammer gains access to a missionary's email account or social media profile, or creates a convincing look-alike account, then messages the missionary's supporters and church network with an urgent story about being stranded, robbed, hospitalized, or detained while abroad, needing an immediate wire transfer to resolve the crisis. Because the missionary is a real, known, and trusted person, and because international travel genuinely does carry some risk, the story is often believable enough that supporters act quickly without verifying.
The scammer usually asks for the wire transfer to go to an account that is not the missionary's own known account, sometimes explained away as belonging to a local contact who is helping them, and pushes for speed by emphasizing the urgency of the situation and sometimes asking the recipient not to mention it to others to avoid worrying the missionary's family.
Missionary sending organizations typically have established emergency protocols and do not rely on individual supporters wiring money to unfamiliar accounts on short notice, so any such request should be verified through the sending organization's own office and through a direct call or video call to the missionary using contact information obtained independently of the suspicious message.
Common red flags
- The urgent message asks for a wire transfer to an account other than one you have used for this person before
- You are asked to keep the request confidential or not to contact the person's family or organization
- The account or profile contacting you is new or was recently compromised, based on unusual recent activity
- The story includes high urgency and discourages verification by claiming there is no time
- The writing style or details do not match how the missionary normally communicates
What to do now
- Contact the missionary directly using a phone number or method you already had, not one provided in the suspicious message
- Contact the missionary's sending organization to check whether they are aware of any emergency
- Do not send a wire transfer to a new or unfamiliar account based on an urgent message alone
- Alert others in the missionary's support network if you suspect their account has been compromised
- Report the compromised account to the platform it was sent from so it can be secured
Frequently asked questions
What should the missionary do if their account was actually compromised?
They should change passwords immediately, enable multi-factor authentication, notify their sending organization and support network directly through a verified channel, and report the compromise to the platform involved.