How an Elaborate Fake Church Nearly Scammed Me

Photo Credit: Good Things Guy

The scam only unravelled because they asked for money. After nearly two months of contracts, visa applications, event planning and “blessed” email sign-offs, I discovered the church inviting me to speak in the UK didn’t actually exist.

Johannesburg, South Africa (27 May 2026) – For nearly two months, my assistant and I believed I was heading to the United Kingdom to speak at a conference called “Elevate 2026”, hosted by a church called “New Life Community Church”. There were contracts, schedules, panel discussions, email signatures filled with blessings and scripture-adjacent language, and a website so polished that at one point I even found myself clicking through a page encouraging visitors to “get to know Jesus”.

But nothing about it felt strange.

I’ve been a keynote speaker for more than a decade now. Speaking on stages has become a massive part of my life and career. Every single week, I’m either hosting an event, giving a talk, moderating a panel or travelling somewhere to share stories about South Africa, hope, media and the good things happening around us. Over the years, I’ve been booked to speak in Mauritius, Germany, the UK and across Europe. Most of those bookings started exactly the same way… with an email.

So when “Pastor Jeremy Edward” reached out to invite me to speak at their conference, it didn’t raise immediate red flags. The church website looked legitimate (VERY legitimate), the event page looked real and the correspondence sounded professional. They wanted me for a keynote and two panel discussions. There were conversations about flights, accommodation, timelines and contracts. It all felt normal enough that I handed the communication over to my assistant, who then dealt directly with the church’s “event coordinator”, a woman calling herself “Charlotte Parker”.

How an Elaborate Fake Church Nearly Scammed Me — Photo Credit: Screenshot of “New Life Community Church” website

And this is where these scammers are frighteningly good.

They don’t rush you… they build trust slowly and they create layers while mirroring professionalism. They add warmth. These ones even added a little faith. They make everything feel important and personal and believable. Every email sounded polished, overly kind and just spiritual enough to lower your guard.

One of Charlotte’s emails even ended with, “May we continue on this journey, guided by the light and blessing of divine providence.”

Give that scammer an Oscar immediately.

At one point, I was told I would need a Permitted Paid Engagement (PPE) Visa to work in the UK legally, even though I already have a travel visa. After checking the official UK Government website, it appeared to be true. So we proceeded.

That’s how scams like this work. They get you to commit to one thing first… one small admin task. And once you’ve invested time and energy, you’re more likely to keep going because your brain has already decided this must be real.

After letting them know last week that I had received my PPE Visa, we waited.

And then, yesterday… an urgent email.

Apparently, under a “new UK immigration policy”, I now needed something called UKBTI… United Kingdom Business Travel Insurance. The fee was $1,700 USD and had to be paid through their “approved travel agent”. Conveniently, they were happy to connect me. The email explained that the money would later be refunded once the UK Government confirmed I had left the country after the event.

That was the moment the penny dropped. I was in the middle of being scammed.

@brentlindeque Storytime… I got scammed by a church. Well, nearly scammed, and not a church (but it did look like one). This is the most bizarre story (to me) and maybe me sharing it will help someone else. They call themselves “New Life Community Church” and the Event was called “Elevate”. They strung my assistant and me along for 2 months. I should have known better. I should have done more research. But friends, their website looked LEGIT. What kind of evil human scams you while asking you to “get to know Jesus”? Anyway, now I know. And so do you. Oh, I have a UK Visa (now), if you need a speaker. LOL. Okay. Love you. Bye. #storytime #elevate #whenweknowbetter #wedobetter #neveragain ♬ original sound – Brent Lindeque

I immediately started searching keywords online, the name of the “church”, the “event” name… alongside the word “scam” and within minutes found stories from other speakers around the world who had encountered almost identical schemes. One global speaker had even been “invited” to South Africa through a similar fake conference setup. And, of course, this is when the pictures on the website also (finally) screamed AI.

My assistant and I had been strung along for nearly two months.

I reported the website, all correspondence, and every email address connected to the scam to the relevant UK authorities, as well as to international reporting platforms linked to the .org domain. I also sent the scammers a final response that was significantly less blessed by divine providence.

But the reason I’m sharing this publicly isn’t because I’m embarrassed. Actually, it’s the opposite.

I’m sharing it because scams are getting smarter. Much smarter.

These are no longer badly written emails from mysterious princes needing banking details. These are elaborate operations with functioning websites, fake organisations, fake conferences, fake staff members and carefully crafted emotional manipulation. They are playing the long game. They are building credibility over weeks and months because eventually somebody pays the money.

And if this nearly caught me… someone who works in media every day, who understands digital spaces and who has spent years navigating partnerships and bookings… then it can catch anyone.

So if you ever receive an invitation that feels slightly too polished, too flattering or too urgent, take a breath and investigate everything. Search names. Search phrases. Check addresses. Verify organisations independently. And if somebody suddenly introduces a “mandatory refundable fee”, run. Fast.

But somewhere inside this very bizarre experience, there’s also something good.

The internet can be a mess but it also helped expose the scam. Other speakers sharing their stories helped me connect the dots almost instantly. And that is exactly why I am doing the same. Yes, there are people out there trying to trick, manipulate and steal from others. That part is sadly real. But there are also good people warning each other, helping each other and making enough noise to stop others from becoming victims too.

The scammers may have spent months building a fake church, fake kindness and fake intentions… but the people exposing them are very real. And thankfully, there are still far more good humans than bad ones.