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Resident reports gift‑card phishing scam impersonating council member; staff flagged it a scam
Summary
A Cornish resident described a text/email impersonation scam asking for three $100 Apple gift cards using a picture of ‘Matt.’ A staff member advised it appeared fraudulent; the resident did not provide PINs and reported the incident to the council.
A town resident reported receiving texts and an email that appeared to come from a council member’s account and requested three $100 Apple gift cards with photos of the back (PIN codes). The resident bought the cards but said they did not transmit PINs after Lauren (staff) warned the request looked like a scam.
The resident described how the message used the council member’s photo and asked for the card numbers. "She said, this is gonna be a scam," the resident recounted, crediting Lauren with stopping the potential loss. The resident retained the unused cards and the council discussed checking message threads and verifying whether the messages were legitimate. One participant said the scam began as a text and later appeared as an email, making the messages look more convincing.
Council members urged residents to verify unusual requests for gift cards and to contact town staff or the person directly before sending funds or card information. No money was reported lost at the meeting; staff said they would follow up to determine whether law‑enforcement or other notifications were needed.
