According to multiple sources, a scam artist has been targeting frum Jews on their phones, impersonating an Orthodox Jew, and asking for money as an act of “chesed.” Even more frightening, he targets his victims by infiltrating frum WhatsApp groups.

The latest (almost) victim is Dovid Bashevkin, head of NCSY, who is very vocal on Twitter. Bashevkin tweeted: “BEWARE: I just got a weird phone call from this number on my cell from a live person who knew my last name and mutuals of mine from twitter and kept using yeshiva terminology slightly incorrectly and was CLEARLY SCAMMING FOR MONEY — presenting as frum when he clearly was not.”

He continued: “If you get a call from that number or from a different number asking you ‘to do a chessed’ and assuring you that ‘I’ve done my hishtadlut’ and asks you to send money please know that this is a very obvious scam. Don’t send money.”