Local priest’s exorcist role targeted by scammers

Targeting people who seek out the help of Fr. Lampert

(BROOKVILLE, Ind.) – A local Catholic priest who has held a unique role within the church has gained notoriety around the world, and that notoriety is leading scammers to take advantage of those who seek his help.

Fr. Vince Lampert is the priest at St. Michael’s and St. Peter’s Catholic churches in Franklin County.

He served as the designated exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis for several years before stepping down from the role this past November.

Fr. Lampert performed hundreds of exorcisms, fielded thousands of emails and participated in interviews with television stations and podcasts from all over the world. 

Throughout that time, and still today, he does not have a social media presence. The only way someone could reach him was, and still is by email.

However, a handful of Facebook pages were created a few years ago pretending to be Fr. Lampert. 

Carla Hertel is a staff member at the Brookville Parish office and she has attempted to get those fake social media pages removed, but that effort has been unsuccessful. 

What makes this scam so believable and dangerous?

While all scams are designed to be believable, this one appears to go extra lengths to target victims who are already facing significant challenges. 

Fr. Lampert is one of the most-well known exorcists in the world and there is no shortage of people who believe they are dealing with the demonic. 

As Fr. Lampert points out, although someone might think they're facing demons, the majority of those who reach out typically fall in the realm of mental health or substance abuse. 

He performed more than 400 exorcisms during his time in the role. That is a tiny percentage of the amount of requests he received. Prior to an exorcism ever being considered, the person is subjected to numerous psychological evaluations and other tests.

What has happened so far?

Fr. Lampert used to provide a weekly update in the church bulletin to let parishioners know about his travels and seminars. He had to stop doing that as the scammers were using that information on the fake accounts to appear legitimate. 

He is aware of one man in Germany who paid $2,000 believing Fr. Vince was flying out to see him for an exorcism. 

Recently, a woman from Indianapolis showed up at St. Michael’s in Brookville believing that she had scheduled a meeting with him. That was news to Fr. Vince when he encountered the woman at the church.

The scam account is currently accepting registrations for a “School of Exorcism” class that would begin in March. It costs $500 to attend.

If you can’t afford $500, the scammer has some great discounts to get you back on the right path!

You can get a Blessed Rosary for $65, Holy Water for $80 or some spiritual text for $250. 

It is all a scam:

Those are just a few of the scams that Fr. Vince and his staff are aware of.

There is a likelihood that there are victims all over the world due to the Facebook pages remaining active and seeking victims.

Also, the scammer will engage in lengthy conversation if you reach out to the email associated with the postings, so don't be fooled.

If you know someone who has fallen victim, or you have additional information to share, file a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center by clicking here.

In regard to Fr. Vince having any sort of social media presence, the closest thing to it is the Facebook group 'Brookville, Indiana Catholic Parishes.'

Any other social media account depicting his name is a scam.