Southampton Town police are warning the public about a series of phishing emails that impersonate town land management officials and seek fraudulent payments.
The Southampton Town Police Department Detective Division said the scam emails appear to come from addresses ending in @usa.com and claim to be sent on behalf of the Southampton Town Planning Board and Department of Land Management.
According to police, the emails target victims by requesting “approval fees” related to planning or land-use applications. The messages are typically accompanied by an invoice and bank wire instructions.
In one example provided by police, the sender claimed that municipal staff had recommended approval of a pre-submission site plan application and asked the recipient to settle an attached “application approval fee” in order to move the project toward final endorsement.
Southampton Town and its departments do not issue invoices that solicit payment by wire transfer, police said.
Anyone who receives a suspicious email may report it to Southampton Town police at 631-728-3400.
Scammers posing as Riverhead Town officials launched a similar email phishing scam this winter.
Southampton police did not reference the Riverhead incidents in their press release. Southampton Town detectives are investigating the incidents. Anyone with information about related criminal activity is asked to contact the Southampton Town Police Detective Division at 631-702-2230.
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Social headline: Police warn of phishing emails impersonating Southampton Town officials
Social excerpt: The scam emails request approval fees and include invoices and wire transfer instructions. Police said Southampton Town does not solicit wire payments.
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