‘God Squad’ tackles evil doers among the pews

By Laureen McMahon

Like action heroes working for God, Fraser Valley chaplains Father Seamus Mackrell and Rev. John C. Haycock are fighting crime ... in church!
The chaplains, known collectively as the God Squad, are helping church flocks stay unfleeced!

Father Mackrell, who ministers at Chilliwack General Hospital, and Rev. Haycock, a ordained Presbyterian serving at MSA Hospital in Abbotsford, have spent years counselling churchgoers left devastated after being bilked out of their investment dollars by trusted fellow parishioners.

In fact, said Father Mackrell, thousands of dollars have been fraudulently taken out of congregations in the so-called Bible belt in the Fraser Valley.

“As tragic as is the loss of money,” Father Mackrell told The B.C. Catholic, “it’s even worse to lose faith in your church community, where you should be able to count on being safe.”

A new national study on investment fraud and its social impact has estimated that over 1 million adult Canadians have been victimized.

An amazing half were introduced to the fraud through an existing relationship of trust, such as a friend, family member, or work or church colleague, said B.C. Securities Commission executive director Brenda Leong, who released the study findings at an Oct. 2 public meeting in Vancouver.

In partnership with several groups, including the God Squad pastors, the BCSC has launched InvestRight, an initiative to reduce the social impact of investment fraud.

Father Mackrell and Rev. Haycock played a pivotal role in producing the program, aimed at reducing what is known as affinity fraud by educating investors on their investment decisions, said Patricia Bowles, BCSC director of communications and education.

Chaplains raise awareness on congregation investment fraud

“No one expects,” Father Mackrell explained, “that someone they meet at church will betray them into a phony investment scheme. This is affinity fraud, and when it happens, it’s very difficult because of the loss of trust.

“The church is supposed to be a place of welcome for strangers, which is a good thing, so we tell people just to be aware that fraud exists. Most are surprised, which indicates they could be vulnerable.”

Many members of churches in B.C. have experienced the ultimate betrayal of someone taking advantage of a religious or church connection to talk them into scams, he said. Investment crimes often remain hidden because of the shame involved in being defrauded by someone from your own congregation.

“The chaplains have been absolutely fabulous,” said Bowles. “Meeting them has opened the door to helping us fight affinity fraud in churches where it has been difficult to spread our message.”

Scammers often successfully deceive someone influential in the congregation and get that individual to bring in more unsuspecting victims. When the scheme ultimately fails and people start losing money, there can be terrible consequences to the community.

“We have been working with the chaplains for four years to get this off the ground,” said Bowles. “They came to us at a seminal moment when we realized that a lot of fraud problems were originating in Fraser Valley churches.”

Introducing the new fraud-busting InvestRight program is extremely important, said Father Mackrell, because of the toll it takes on everyone.

While working in the hospitals, the chaplains were amazed to discover how many people became physically ill after suffering affinity fraud.

After countless hours counselling individuals and families, they decided to raise awareness about the problem, and they were soon speaking to both women’s and men’s church groups. Up to now they have visited eight Christian denominations.

“By the end of four years,” said Bowles, “Father Mackrell and Rev. Haycock had organized 70 workshops and talked to well over 5,000 people!”

Their efforts to bring fraud out in the open, and especially to encourage people to report it, she said, have actually helped stop a number of fraudulent investment schemes.

“A couple of years ago we produced a video called Preying on Those Who Pray, which the pastors used in their workshops,” said Bowles. “The God Squad has been a real powerhouse in stemming the tide of scams.”

Other groups which have partnered with the InvestRight program include The Better Business Bureau, the B.C. Crime Prevention Association, the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Church, and the B.C. Hydro Power Pioneers, a retirement organization promoting seniors’ safety and crime prevention.

Said Father Mackrell, “John and I are writing a program to be produced on DVD with a workbook and a Leaders’ Guide for step-by-step use with specific denominations, starting with the Presbyterian and Catholic Churches.”

The CWL, he added, are interested in taking the program to parishes throughout the whole province.

More information on InvestRight is available under the heading investment at www.bcsc.bc.ca.