Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church warns of imposter offering prayers for cash

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Thursday, May 16, 2019
Lakewood Church warns of imposter Joel Osteen online
Fraudulent messages on social media urge the faithful to give $25 and $50 in exchange for prayer, the church says.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Lakewood Church is issuing a warning to social media users who may have received a fraudulent Facebook comment from an account spoofing Joel Osteen Ministries.

The Facebook comment warns that the recipient's prayer request account has not been activated and will require a monthly donation for activation.

The imposter's comment explains that the recipient can pay a monthly donation of $24.99 for three prayer requests per month or $49.99 a month to become a "Platinum Prayer Request" member, giving the account holder access to over 10 prayer requests a month.

Lakewood Church posted a screenshot of the comment on their Facebook page and warned the public that it is fake.

Joel Osteen Ministries said it never requests money for prayer, and that you can submit free prayer requests at joelosteen.com.

A representative from Lakewood Church sent ABC13 Eyewitness News the following statement:

Joel Osteen Ministries never requests money for prayer. The image being circulated is from an impostor account and did not come from Joel Osteen Ministries.

WATCH: Fake Joel Osteen targets followers on social media

Fraudulent messages on social media urge the faithful to give $25 and $50 in exchange for prayer, the church says.