People who applied for special use permits in Madison County are being targeted by a scam operation asking them to pay a "county compensation fee."
The scam has been running for several weeks now, according to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office says the emails are coming from dot-com email addresses, and not dot-gov, which governments use.
"The details in the email and invoice are very accurate and specific, making it appear legitimate. The sender is asking for a wire transfer for the fee," the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Anyone who receives such an email is advised to not send any money and to contact the sheriff’s office, at (540) 948-5161, or the Madison County Planning Commission, at (540) 948-7500.
The sheriff’s office has shared tips for anyone who suspects they are being scammed:
Check to see if the sender’s email address ends in dot-gov. Any email coming from a legitimate Madison County email address will end in dot-gov.Confirm the sender. Reported emails have been using the name of a Madison County employee no longer in the stated position.Always call and verify an invoice.Do not correspond with the sender, and do no share any personal or identifying information with the sender.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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