KENOSHA, Wis. — The City of Kenosha is warning residents, business owners and property owners to be on alert after fraudulent invoices falsely claiming to come from the city’s Planning Commission began circulating.
City officials said the fake invoices appear legitimate and often include official-looking city logos, formatting and references to planning-related work, permits and processing fees that were never authorized or completed. Some invoices direct recipients to wire money to unauthorized people or accounts and include fake due dates in an apparent effort to pressure people into making immediate payments.
City Administrator John Morrissey urged the public to carefully review any unexpected invoice before paying it.
“The public is encouraged to question any invoice they were not expecting,” Morrissey said. “Fraud prevention starts with diligence, any invoice representing the City of Kenosha should be carefully reviewed and verified. Verifying before payment helps prevent fraud and protects your finances.”
According to the city, the Plan Commission does not issue invoices for services. Officials also reminded the public that all legitimate City of Kenosha email addresses end in “@kenosha.org.”
Examples of the fake invoices include charges for supposed “Planning Commission Application Review Fees,” “Site Plan Review and Administrative Processing,” and other fabricated municipal fees totaling thousands of dollars. One example included a total invoice amount of $4,800 and instructed the recipient to request wire transfer instructions.
The city said common signs of fraudulent invoices include references to unauthorized zoning, inspection or permit work, demands for immediate payment, unfamiliar payment accounts or suspicious contact information not affiliated with the city.
Anyone who receives a suspicious invoice is urged not to make any payment. Instead, they should contact the City of Kenosha Department of City Development at 262-653-4030 and report the matter to the Kenosha Police Department non-emergency line at 262-656-1234.
Officials said anyone uncertain about the legitimacy of an invoice should contact the city department listed on the document before sending payment.
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One Response
And will the city be going after these wankers?