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Zoning director warns of AI‑generated fraud targeting past applicants
Summary
Preble County Zoning Director Brad Kramer warned commissioners on June 18 that several previous zoning applicants received convincing fraudulent emails, including county logos and case details, requesting wire transfers; the Sheriff traced the scam overseas and Kramer urged caution and that official communications will not request wire transfers by email.
At the end of the June 18 meeting Preble County Zoning Director Brad Kramer warned the public about convincing fraudulent messages targeting prior zoning applicants. Kramer said the fake messages used official‑looking county logos and case details and instructed recipients to wire money — but the requests did not come from the county Zoning Office. "There’s been some, I’d say, AI generated fraud attempts to contact previous Applicants of the Zoning process, with a very official looking emails... and these previous Applicants are being asked to wire transfer money to the Zoning Office; however, it’s not my Zoning Office, it’s somewhere else," Kramer told the commission.
Kramer said the Sheriff’s Office traced the fraud to overseas actors and urged applicants and residents to be wary: legitimate county or federal agencies will not demand immediate wire transfers by email. He recommended that residents verify suspicious requests with the Zoning Office or the Sheriff and reminded especially older residents and family members to watch for urgent wire requests that are likely fraudulent.
