Forty three years ago, long before the advent of the internet and email, I was ex-communicated from the Mormon Church. Since then I have had no communication with them whatsoever until this morning when I received an email from them which reads in part -

"The Church of Jesus Christ <info@e.churchofjesuschrist.org>
4:03 AM (5 hours ago)
to me

Important information about your Church Account
Engagement No. B058762

Dear Account Holder:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Utah corporation sole (“CHC”), detected an unauthorized network intrusion that affected personal data you previously provided. At this time, there is no evidence that any of your financial information has been impacted and there is no indication that the data has been or is likely to be used for fraudulent or other harmful purposes. We are notifying you and others worldwide whose data may have been affected, even where this is not legally required..."

I find it rather creepy that if the above email is genuine, then this so called church has my current email address. How did they obtain it and how did they match my email address which is in my present surname to my former different surname as a member?

Has anyone else on this forum (whether ex-communicated or resigned) received this same email?

It seems like a phishing scam to me. Some clever scamster possibly got hold of a ward list or some such.

I'm so sick of internet scammers.

Wish it was just another phishing scam, I can deal with them, but I find it rather upsetting to hear from a cult that obviously stalks its former members even after 43 years. A cult that shouldn't have my email address and could not have gotten it from the only family I have left, my children who all resigned from the church they couldn't stand.

Wow. I see it's legit. Like you, I'm disgusted.

https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2022/10/13/cyberattack-targets-lds-church/

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported Thursday that some of its computer systems — which included personal data of some members, employees, contractors and friends — were breached on March 23.

The compromised materials “did not include donation history or any banking information,” according to a news release."

"The church is now notifying affected individuals, alerting them the personal data may include usernames, membership record numbers, full name, gender, email address, birthdate, mailing address, phone numbers and preferred language. It also is urging them to be vigilant in monitoring their personal accounts."

A few people on the reddit r/exmormon site have received this as well.

We've been trying to reach you. It's expiring soon...

I would go ahead and resign. If your current information (i.e. current email address) is still on the books, the church may still consider you a member. You could mention in your email that since you had been excommunicated 43 years ago, you were under the impression that you were no longer a member, but if that is not the case, you hereby resign.

I agree, it's creepy and stalker-ish that they have your current email address.

I resigned 12 years ago. Just got the email as well. So much for them removing you from the roles..

Silhouette1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I resigned 12 years ago. Just got the email as
> well. So much for them removing you from the
> roles..

Interesting! Several years ago when they replaced visiting teachers with "ministers" one came to my door looking for my son. When I told him my son didn't want to see him and wanted nothing to do with the church he told me to get my son to put in his resignation and his name would be removed from the records. When I replied that that this was nothing more than a futile exercise as names were never removed, he became rather belligerent. He insisted that names were ALWAYS COMPLETELY removed from all records.

What seems odd to me is that this breach happened in March and TSSC claims that it was law enforcement that told them not to let people know about it! This is not common, is it?

It feels like their first reaction is always to protect the church instead of doing the right thing immediately. I doubt they learned anything from the child abuse fiasco. Until they face legal issues or bad publicity, they tend to keep stuff like this quiet as long as possible.

It's not that I'm a fan of Satan, but I dislike the church so much that when Satan puts one over on them, I can't help but smile.

I'm curious to know when the church 'discovered' the breach . . .

It happened over six months ago.  Did they just discover it, or have they been sitting on this news?  And if they've been sitting on the news, what was it that made them divulge it now?

And OPie, how the heck did they get your email, given that they withdrew from your presence before you had an email address?

Come to think of it, I get emails from BYU as an alum, and I don't know where they got it.  But ghawd is all-powerful and all-knowing, so there's that...

What I find interesting per the article on KSL.COM about the whole thing, is that most companies after a breach offer some kind of protection coverage for like a year or so.

But all the church did was issue a statement telling you to be careful, change your passwords, and watch out for unusual events happening with your identity.

I guess that 100 Billion Fund really needs to grow more, since I have no doubt a bunch of angelic auditors will be sent by God to make sure not one penny is missing.

...volunteer auditors...

I received the notice because some time in the past I had logged on to Family Search. The notice indicated that they were contacting those whose information might be compromised because the official investigation with the authorities had concluded,

kentish Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I received the notice because some time in the
> past I had logged on to Family Search. The notice
> indicated that they were contacting those whose
> information might be compromised because the
> official investigation with the authorities had
> concluded,

That could possibly be how they got my email. I have been researching my family history for years now and my daughter-in-law recently ordered a DNA testing kit for me from Ancestry.com which I think is owned by the church. Also think I have logged on to Family search a couple of times in the past few years. Thanks for that it doesn't feel quite as creepy now.

It's some people's job to track down emails etc. of people who are or were pawns of the corporation. I don't believe that just because you resigned that they treat you as if you never existed. And I say that as someone who resigned.

  
  
  
Besides me, who else here has NOT received this email?



ETA:  is it cuz I'm Brown?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/2022 11:31AM by elderolddog.

I haven't. And I haven't resigned either. I even checked my junk folder. ...I apparently won a YETI from Dicks Sporting Goods, despite me never setting foot in that store in my life.

Let's see if we have anything in common. Someone above said something about FamilySearch? I never did any genealogy. Have you?

Have I ever done any genealogy?

Why, yes, yes, I have.  But it wasn't online.  I marched into the 'make it up as you go along genealogy headquarters there next to the SLTemple and demanded to be shown my ancestors.

Actually, I don't recall what I said to the doyen at the entrance, but she took me down to the basement and gave me over to an old man who "knew what he was doing." You know the type...

Again, I don't recall what I told him, but we walked over to a computer, and he found my records, along with my dearly departeds.  They're all members now, so that was good to know.

But as is probably often the case, I spotted an error. Only
I don't know whose error it is!  In our family oral history, my grandfather Julio died of pneumonia, brought on by drinking after my grandmother Antonia left him. This was in Mexico, probably around 1916.

A few years later, my dad and his two older brothers moved to Los Angeles, and from that point, there are photos and documents.

But a TBM grandson found a Julio with the appropriate surname living in Los Angeles up until the late 1920s, and when he died, he was issued a death certificate.  Whether or not he is the correct Julio doesn't matter, of course.  My dad is sealed to him.  But I'm alive, and well, so my sealing is yet to be.  I wonder if I'll get an allowance again?

Could my grandson have barked up the wrong tree?  Who cares...


And if BofJ is also bereft of a communique from the church, I blame him...  I was pretty sure I spotted a surveillance team that time BofJ and I met at the City Cheeky Creeky Mall, and after we parted, three of them followed HIM, while only one followed me, probably got my ID via my license plate and now I'm on the church poop list!

Guilt by association!


What was your question?

I have not been notified, probably because EOD is Brown

As for how they get someone’s email or phone #, search for yourself on white pages . com. If they have your number, anybody can get it.

Elder Old Dog, you probably didn't receive one because you confused them. Instead of being white and delightsome, you are brown, delightsome and entertaining and horror of horrors, you probably even indulge in loud laughter which does not fit well with their beliefs.

<heavy sigh>  

"cute" . . .   Would it have cost you that much to add "cute"?


Speaking of a 'church account', I somehow landed on a mormon.org page that said I could download the Historical Record of the Las Vegas, Nevada Second Ward.

So I downloaded the Jan. 01, 1960 to Dec. 31, 1965 section.  I ^F'd (kind of looks naughty, huh?) my name and found me listed 18 times.  I discovered that my brain had completely forgotten an interim Bishop who served a few years between my holy pillars, Bishop Davis & Bishop Worthen.  

And it turned out that I entered the Salt Lake Mission home the first week of July, not the first week of June, 1965.

And it says that in mid-1964 I gave a talk about repentance and redemption...  It makes sense that Bishop Worthen assigned that to me after I confessed to how great getting laid was.  It's not that he disagreed...  His thing was that timing was crucial.

Dicks can't tell time!

Bad corporation, bad!

Am I surprised? No. Praise Mormon Jesus and pass the donut holes, I mean security holes.

I got two of these - one was because years ago I had set up a church email account using an anonymous email address. The other because I had done the same thing with my realaddress.

I think the message is legitimate.