COSAC staff warn of sophisticated invoice scam after website scraping of applicant data
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Summary
Committee members reported a scam in which someone scraped COSAC application data and sent realistic $4,000 invoices to applicants; staff reported incidents to IT and members suggested adding a fraud‑warning on the online form and improving applicant guidance.
Committee members warned that a scammer scraped information from the COSAC website and sent realistic, unsolicited invoices to applicants and others, including an invoice for $4,000 that targeted an applicant identified in the discussion as Vivian Christiansen.
Speaker 3 described the incident and said similar invoices had been received by planning‑application filers. Staff confirmed the pattern had been reported to the county IT department weeks earlier and advised caution. Speaker 5 recommended adding a prominent fraud warning on the online application and advising applicants to verify invoices with staff before taking action.
Members said the fake invoices were sophisticated and that some recipients might be fooled; Speaker 1 noted that, in at least one instance, they personally recognized the message as fraudulent and did not open it, but cautioned that not every recipient will spot the scam. Committee members agreed to work with IT and legal staff to produce guidance for applicants and to consider a short notice on the online form that encourages applicants to contact staff with invoice questions.
What’s next: Staff will coordinate with IT on recommended website protections and prepare applicant guidance or a fraud‑warning notice for the COSAC online application page.