SALEM LAKES, Wis. – Village officials are warning residents and business owners to be on alert after a scammer posing as a municipal employee sent out a fake invoice totaling nearly $5,000 in a phishing attempt this week.
The fraudulent email, which appeared to originate from “Village of Salem Lakes Board of Trustees” using the address villageofsalemlakes.org@usa.com, requested immediate payment via wire transfer for a Conditional Use Permit application. The message mimicked formal government correspondence and included a professional-looking invoice with a breakdown of supposed fees.
However, Village Administrator Cassandra Hiller confirmed the invoice was not issued by the Village and emphasized that all legitimate emails from Salem Lakes staff end in @voslwi.gov—not @usa.com or any other domain.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
“This is a sophisticated attempt to deceive our community members,” Hiller said in a statement. “The email appears official, but it includes multiple red flags.”
Among those warning signs:
- Wire transfer requests: The Village accepts online payments but does not solicit payment via wire transfer.
- False authority: The invoice falsely claims to be issued by the Board of Trustees, who do not issue invoices under any circumstance.
- Spoofed identity: The scam email falsely listed Public Works Director Brad Zautcke as a contact person and included Village Hall’s legitimate address to appear more credible.
The invoice (No. 30462825) requested $4,950 in payment for various fictitious fees, including zoning review, environmental assessments, and final approval processing. The Village has confirmed it has no connection to the document.
The scam was discovered when a business owner received the phishing email and forwarded it to Zautcke for verification. He confirmed he never sent such a message.
Officials urge anyone who receives suspicious correspondence—especially involving money—to contact Village Hall directly for confirmation before responding or sending funds.
Residents can call the Village at 262-843-2313 or visit in person during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
“This is a reminder to always verify before you trust,” Hiller added. “We appreciate the vigilance of our community in stopping scams like this before they cause harm.”
The Village plans to issue additional warnings via social media and email to ensure wider awareness of the phishing attempt.
Anyone who has received a similar email or who believes they may have been targeted should report the incident to the Village and local law enforcement.
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2 Responses
I received a text message that had a name of a detective for the sheriff’s department asking me to call to talk about a email I sent.
The phone number was real. Not the detective.
Weirder still, I did send a email to the sheriff department the previous day. So I called asking for this person. He doesn’t exist.
So a email I sent was somehow captured and a response was sent to my phone 1 day after.
How the hell is the sheriff department email system compromised ?
IT department are union employees is my guess.