Scam emails pose as city officials to trick contractors into wiring money

Scammers are sending emails that look like official city correspondence to trick contractors and business owners into wiring money. The Mitchell Republic reports that a local contractor and a resident recently received these messages, which claimed to be from the city of Mitchell regarding permit applications.

The emails included fake invoices demanding wire transfers of $6,650 and $4,994. They used real city letterhead and even included the name of city planner Mark Jenniges to appear legitimate. The subject line read “Application approval fee — action required to complete administrative processing.”

Here’s the catch. The sender’s email address did not end with the correct governmental domain, @cityofmitchellsd.gov. Also, the fees listed for planning reviews and engineering don’t match the city’s actual structure. The city charges $100 for a plat change, $150 for variances, and $250 for rezoning. They don’t charge for the other items listed in the scam.

Most importantly, the city of Mitchell never accepts payments via wire transfer. Legitimate payments must be made in person using cash, card, or check. If you get an email like this, verify the sender’s address ends in the official domain. Call the city office directly using a known number to confirm if any fees are due. Refuse any request to wire money.

We’d rather you made one extra call than lost thousands to a fake invoice. It takes ten seconds to check the email address. It saves your bank account.

Sources: Mitchell Republic.