If you receive an e-mail purporting to be from Fr Elias Vella asking for funds for a Ghanaian child diagnosed with renal failure, ignore it as it is a scam.

The e-mail, which promises prayer at the altar of sacrifice if the reader helps save the child, was also sent to the Crisis Resolution Malta network – a team of professionals who can be contacted in case of psychological crises.

Psychiatrist Mark Xuereb, from the network, immediately raised the alarm on Facebook, warning social media users to beware of scammers using the name of respectable people to steal money.

Trying to tug at people’s heartstrings through the Crisis Resolution network and capitalising on religion and children was despicable, he told this newspaper.

Trying to tug at people’s heartstrings through the Crisis Resolution network and capitalising on religion and children is despicable

The message, allegedly signed by Fr Vella, speaks of a charity programme in Asia and Africa that for the past three years was assisting the poor and needy.

It begs the reader to “help save an innocent child from Ghana” who has been abandoned to his fate as the family cannot afford the kidney transplant.

The surgery was allegedly booked for August 3 and would cost $14,500, but a philanthropist has already wired $10,000.

“I know how hard things are everywhere but we can’t leave this boy to die,” it adds.

When contacted, Fr Vella, who is abroad, confirmed he did not send the letters asking for money, noting that the hacker was from Nigeria.

He said several had written to tell him saying they were going to send money, but the e-mail, he warned, was a scam.

To further confound people, after he changed his e-mail password, the scammers actually changed two letters in the e-mail address, to make it seem as if it was still being sent from Fr Vella.