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Select Board relays FBI alert about phishing scams targeting planning and zoning permits
Summary
The Select Board relayed an FBI public-service announcement warning that criminals are impersonating city and county officials in phishing emails to solicit fraudulent payments for planning and zoning permits and urged residents to verify email addresses and check the town website before paying fees.
The chair of the Select Board told residents that the town’s IT director forwarded an FBI public-service announcement warning of an emerging phishing scheme in which criminals impersonate city, town and county officials to solicit fraudulent payments for planning and zoning permits.
According to the chair’s summary of the FBI notice, the scammers use publicly available permit information to identify potential victims and increase the appearance of legitimacy. The chair relayed the FBI’s basic precautions: do not assume an email is legitimate based on letterhead, seals, the name of an official, or proper spelling and grammar; verify that the sender’s domain matches the official email address; look for extra characters or misspellings in email addresses; check the city or county official website for notices of impersonation schemes; and call the phone number listed on the town website to verify any outstanding fees.
The chair said the board will post the FBI release to the town website and encourages residents who are unsure about a request for payment to use official town contact information to confirm whether a fee is genuine.
