City warns applicants and board of email 'spear‑phishing' targeting planning applicants and staff

Poughkeepsie Commissioner of Development Europa McGovern told the Planning Board that city information‑technology staff have identified a series of fraudulent emails — commonly called spear‑phishing — that appear to target planning applicants and board members.

McGovern said the emails are designed to look like legitimate correspondence from the planning or development office and may request payment or wiring of funds. “They look somewhat viable enough that if you’re not familiar with the site plan application, the land use review and approval process in the city, you could potentially … mistakenly think that it’s an invoice from the city with a request to wire money,” McGovern said.

Board members asked clarifying questions after McGovern’s notice. The chair noted the city does not normally send invoices to applicants and encouraged anyone unsure about an email’s authenticity to contact planning staff by phone or use the contact links on the city website. McGovern advised recipients to call Laurie Garcia or the development office if they have doubts.

The announcement was presented as an informational update; no formal action was taken by the board. The board asked staff to continue monitoring and to inform applicants and the public when suspicious messages are reported.

The advisory follows multiple reports received by the planning office; staff said the messages appear focused on recent planning agendas and site‑plan applicants.