For Non-Masons Everywhere

An important diversion from the ordinary

This week I was alerted once again to a man residing in my state who was falling victim to another ‘send us some money, and we’ll make you a Mason’ scam.

These scams seem to be everywhere, and it is really disturbing to see good people who want to become Freemasons fall prey to them.

The short answer is, and I wish more people would come to understand it:

It is not possible, to become a Freemason, anywhere in the world, if you have not met Masons in person, face to face.

It is not possible to be made a Freemason online, and no Masonic Lodge would ever ask for dues or fees from someone who hasn’t spent plenty of time hanging out with members of the Lodge.

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

The long answer, which I posted to the fellow who was falling for this scam is:¹

Here's how it works with any and all legitimate Lodges in Washington State:

1. You reach out to a Lodge local to you, in real life, not via social media. It sounds like you know where your local Lodge building is, if so, there is probably a phone number on the door. If not, give the Grand Lodge Office a call, they will direct you to a local Lodge, more than one when possible. You'll find the Office here: https://freemason-wa.org/

2. Once you make contact with your local Lodge(s) you'll be invited to meet some of the local Masons, maybe a small meeting with a couple of guys, or to dinner prior to a Lodge meeting. Different Lodges do this a bit differently from each other, but whether they do a meeting with a couple of guys first or not, you'll soon find yourself invited to dinner.

3. If you have a good experience at dinner, and the Lodge thinks that you might be a good fit, more invitations will follow. The members of the Lodge will want to get to know you a bit before allowing you to join. Many Lodges here use as sort of a rule of thumb that they want to see you a minimum of six times before allowing you to join.

4. After you have met the guys a time or two, if you do want to join, you ask them for a Petition. You have to ask for it, they won't give you one unless you do. They might give you one when you ask, or they might tell you that they want you to participate with them a few more times. Lodges are different about this. Remember that you have to ask, they won't ask you.

5. When you get the Petition, you fill it out. It will say right on it what the Initiation Fee is. You attach a check to the Petition, along with evidence that you have the required background check. A Lodge can not, and in my experience will not, accept a petition without the Initiation Fee and background check information. (Initiation Fees in Washington Lodges range from about $100 to $400 depending on the Lodge.) (Information about where and how to get the required background check will be provided with the Petition.)

6. Once the Lodge has those three things, they will accept your Petition, and then appoint an Investigation Committee. That Committee will meet with you, and if you have one, ideally your wife and maybe even your kids. We do not seek to Initiate men who do not have the support for this journey from their immediate families, nor do we seek to Initiate men who might have their family or finances harmed by doing so.

7. The Investigation Committee will then return its findings to the Lodge, and the Lodge will vote whether to accept or reject the Petition.

8. Assuming that it is accepted, a date will be worked out for your Initiation. But by this time you will already know the guys of the Lodge.

The above process is the only way to become a Freemason in Washington.

If you have only communicated with these people online, you are in the middle of a scam. They may type a good game, they might even have lots of photographs of Masonic events, heck, they might even have lots of photographs of me wearing my fancy regalia at Masonic events, but I assure you, if you haven't met them, and talked with them, and visited their dinners, it is nothing but a scam.

One other bit of information that will be helpful to you:

We have a lot of Lodges, and every Lodge is different from every other Lodge. In my little city we have a Lodge, and the little town just to the north of us has a Lodge too. Within really easy driving distance from each other.

In Seattle we have 10 or so Lodges, all within just a few miles of each other.

But, in some rural areas, there is only a single Lodge within reasonable driving distance.

If there is more than one Lodge local to you, I would advise that you visit them all. Go to dinner at all of them. Find the one that is the best fit for you. A good Lodge will encourage you to do just this if there are other Lodges nearby.

If you are not a Freemason, but want to become a Freemason, I hope that this information will be of help to you.

1. This is the process followed by Lodges of the Grand Lodge of Washington. Other Grand Lodges may do things slightly differently, but only slightly.